


The Hidden Nature

by Nurisiliel



Category: True Blood (TV)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friendship/Love, Heavy Angst, Magic, Minor Character Death, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Slow Burn, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nurisiliel/pseuds/Nurisiliel
Summary: Enid Griffith has a normal, quiet, human life. But when she discovers a mystery of her past through a stroke of fate, her life changes more and more. Will her unusual friendship with vampires give her the strength to endure this change?
Relationships: Godric/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Hidden Nature was my very first fanfiction, which I wrote in 2018 and posted online at fanfiction.net. For the sake of completeness, I'm posting the story here as well now too. At the same time, it gives me the opportunity to rewrite a few little things here and there that I don't like as much today anymore. But those are really just little things - like that the chapters now get titles. Because overall, I'm proud of my story, especially that I can see the process I went through while writing it. So it's a glimpse into my development as a writer.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own True Blood or any character which you may recognize from the show or books. They belong to Charlaine Harris and Alan Bell. However, everything else is my own creation.

**~ A glimpse into a life ~**

  
"Wake up, wake up."

Enid slowly came to herself and heard rustling sounds around her. But the leaden heaviness of sleep was just too seductive, and with a low growl she simply turned around with the firm intention of going back to sleep.

"The stars are bright, the moon shines light..." a woman started to sing with a Spanish accent.

"Go away," she grumbled sleepily into her pillow.

"Wake up, my dear."

"Nooo, shush, go away!" She damned the woman who seemed intent on being her personal alarm clock.

"You know, I have no problem putting a wet, cold washcloth on your face... Think about it," the woman threatened.

Groaning, she rolled over while blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Eventually, the other woman came into focus.

"I hate you, Isabel," Enid murmured sarcastically, glaring at her. "I always thought my uncle was the nasty one, making life difficult for me."

Groggily, Enid pushed herself up and to the edge of the bed before clumsily dropping onto the carpet in front of it.

Isabel laughed. It was a beautiful sound, and as much as Enid hated being woken up by Isabel, she nonetheless still loved her very much.

"Oh Enid," Isabel purred threateningly, "you know perfectly well that I'm a vampire and have even more unpleasant methods to wake you up..."

"Yeah all right, all right, I'm up…" She staggered to her feet. "See?"

Enid wasn't a happy morning person under normal circumstances, but today she was grumpier than usual. With a long sigh, she plopped down on the edge of the bed and hung her head.

Isabel sat down next to Enid on the bed and looked at her companion's niece with a worried expression. "What's going on, my dear?"

"I'm fine, Isabel. Don’t you have to go and fulfill your duty?"

"Right now, you're more important. I can see… and smell… that you're not feeling well. Tell me what's going on, hm?"

"You smell…?" Enid raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at the older woman.

"Yes, I not only smell that you drank alcohol, I can also tell you what you drank, and neither your uncle nor I like you getting drunk on a Friday afternoon. That's so not your style." She paused, probably waiting for Enid to reply, but when no answer was forthcoming, Isabel pointedly asked, "So, what's up?"

Enid sighed and looked at the female vampire with a sad smile. "Well, first of all, I'm 24 and can legally get drunk whenever I want to. But you're right… It's Kayla... Her parents informed me earlier today that she has to stay in the hospital permanently now. My other kids are missing her terribly; she was friends with everyone, and I don't yet know how to tell them the bad news."

Isabel gave her a sympathetic look and put a hand on the young woman's shoulder, turning Enid around so that she would look at her. With her other hand she grabbed a strand of Enid's sleep-ruffled hair and tucked it behind an ear. This young woman – who was like a daughter to her – had a very compassionate heart. It hurt Isabel to see her so sad.

"How bad is Kayla?" she eventually asked with a soft tone.

Enid hemmed and hawed for a moment, then replied, "Well, the doctors are probably very confident that the therapy will work well, but…" She broke off, her voice shaking with emotions. Isabel waited patiently for Enid to continue. When she did, she whispered, "It's lung cancer. They would have had to keep and treat the girl much sooner, right at the first symptoms." She sighed again. "The health system of this country sucks..."

Uncharacteristically for a vampire, Isabel hugged her tightly. "I wish I could do something," she murmured, talking to herself.

Enid nonetheless heard her. "Thanks, Isabel. You know, you guys can really be glad you're never going to get sick..." She slightly leaned back to be able to look at her friend.

Thanks for listening. I just had to talk about it with someone, and you know my uncle isn't very suitable for such an emotional topic."

"You can always talk to me about everything, my dear, don't forget that. But now come, your uncle made something for you to eat before he went to the office. You shouldn't drive a car on an empty stomach. It is an unnecessary distraction."

"Yeah, you’re right. Actually, I shouldn't drive at all after drinking alcohol. Frankly speaking, I really don't feel like going to the cinema at the moment. I'll just call my friend and ask if we can postpone it. Maybe she'll come over and we can watch a DVD. "

"Good. I'll say good night now too and will see you tomorrow. Don't forget our girls' night..." She gave Enid a kiss on the forehead and then disappeared with her whooshing vampire speed.

With a smile, Enid searched for her cell phone to call her friend and then get some food. Isabel was right again; an empty stomach was _not_ pleasant.

\- x -

The next morning Enid woke up with a furry tongue and the stale aftertaste of cheap potato chips in her mouth. She would have liked to lie in bed all day, but her human needs almost screamed for her to go to the bathroom. With some effort, she struggled out of the covers, rolled over, and dropped like every morning onto the super-soft rug by her bedside, where she landed in astonishment on all fours. _'Huh... apparently not such a nasty hang over...'_ she thought, straightening herself up carefully. At that moment, her bladder made itself felt again, and she hurried on.

Her cell phone on the laundry basket blinked happily, but she decided to take a nice warm shower before checking her news. It was wonderful! Some people say that you can wake up better with cold water, but Enid always needed it warm. That was why her friends always lovingly called her a chilblain – which wasn't true. During outdoor activities, she was completely insensitive to cold temperatures; only indoors she couldn't stand low ones. That was a mystery about herself she hadn't yet solved. But she had a theory. She knew that not only vampires roamed this planet as supernatural beings, so… maybe she wasn't quite human? Isabel had sniffed at her more often than Enid could count, simply because it was in the nature of a vampire to do that, but she probably didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. At least Enid hoped Isabel would tell her if she smelled like a werewolf...

After twenty-five minutes she gave the shower head one last hearty look, and then wrapped herself in her towel. Her shower was at ground level and Enid was very happy about that. Her friend Claudia had told her just yesterday that her aunt had slipped out in her ordinary shower a few days ago when getting out and had sprained her ankle. An accident was never nice, but Enid couldn't help laughing when reminded of the story because of her friend's way of narrating – Hollywood-style, complete with facial expressions and gestures. And while thinking of her… Enid was really glad that Claudia had agreed to watch a DVD instead of going to the cinema. After that Friday, Enid hadn't felt like primping herself, and going to the movies with her pink sweat pants and fluffy oversized pullover would have been embarrassing. She chuckled while drying herself. Claudia knew her very, very well; when she had rung, she was also in sweat pants and brought an emergency package with her. In one hand she held the DVD The Silence of the Lambs and in the other microwave heatable slippers. God, how she loved her childhood friend!

After getting dressed, she picked up her cell phone. She had two messages – one from Claudia about how great last night had been and that they had to repeat it as soon as possible. The other one was from her aunt Andrea. She automatically smiled; her aunt was a crazy noodle. She and Enid's father André were twins, and both enjoyed life to the fullest. Her second father Max was the brother of her uncle Hugo, who she was currently living with. Her two fathers had met at an art exhibition where André was one of the artists and they had since been inseparable. That had been twenty two years ago. Now they spend the majority of the year working abroad, only seldomly spending time in their house in Houston. Enid thought it was a shame that she couldn't see her fathers that often, but at the same time she was happy for them because André had great success with his art and Max as his right and left hand just enjoyed life by his side and the different countries the two visited.

Her aunt, on the other hand, had settled in Germany, where Enid visited her after high school and trained as a nursery-school teacher. Enid loved her aunt because she could literally steal horses with her, but after her three-year-training she needed a little more consistency in her life so she decided to go back to Houston. But as it happens in life, things often turn out differently. Her two high school friends, Samantha and Meredith, had contacted her and asked if she would like to come to Dallas. The two had opened the _Funny Sunbugs_ , a day care for toddlers there and wanted to have her on board because they knew of Enid's education. Well, working with two friends in the city where her uncle Hugo lived, who used to watch her beloved thriller series with her – the decision to go to Dallas hadn't been difficult.

And that was where she was right now. She had been living with her uncle Hugo for just over a year now. For her it had only been a temporary solution that she moved into the spacious guest room, but her uncle didn't want to hear anything about her taking her own apartment. He thought his house was big enough, allowing her to earn some money without needing to pay rent. That would come early enough once she got her own place to start a family. Therefore, after a few months, she stopped searching for apartments. Besides, the two got along really well together, she liked the house and the neighborhood very well, and it reminded her of her lovable stuffy life in Houston. When Enid's uncle introduced her to his girlfriend… well, Isabel quickly became the mother Enid never had. Of course, she loved her two fathers idolatrously, but sometimes a girl just needed maternal advice...

It was an interesting experience to make friends with a vampire. Isabel always liked to tell her about her kind and herself. At the same time, she managed to keep all the secrets hidden that vampires weren't allowed to share with humans. Enid could sometimes only shake her head because vampire policy was really not easy to understand. She knew that Isabel was working as second in command with the sheriff here in Dallas, but that was all she knew about her friend's work. And honestly, she didn't want to dive too deep into the depths of their politics.

On the way to the kitchen, she turned her almost hip-length hair into a topknot and greeted her uncle, who was already reading a newspaper over a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Uncle Hugo. Thanks for the meal yesterday."

"You're welcome. What did you do last night?"

"Claudia came over and we watched a DVD instead of going to the movies... it was great fun. And afterward I slept like a baby." She smiled at her uncle while making herself a toast.

Hugo looked at her over his newspaper. "Are you okay? Isabel told me that a girl in your group isn't feeling well."

_'Ah, the kindhearted Isabel.'_

"Yes, little Kayla has to stay in the hospital now, but the doctors are confident..." She bit off her cheese toast and took a sip of water. "Hey, I'm supposed to greet you from Auntie Andrea. She's written that she even has a go-go pole at her club now and can't wait to see me again so that I can try it."

Hugo snorted in amusement. "Yeah, that sounds like Andrea… Wait a moment. _Can_ you dance on a pole?"

"Yeah, it's fun." She saw her uncle's face darken and quickly added, "Don't worry, I would never do it half naked for lewd menfolk. I prefer the artistic side about this sport – I'm fascinated by the body control you need. And if there's still good music going on and you're wearing a fitting and elegant outfit... I love feeling the music and energy that comes from dancing with your whole body..." Enid closed her eyes and dreamed about it until she heard her uncle laugh.

"Okay, okay, I got it. Just promise me that you always have something on if you do this sport here in Dallas. Otherwise Max and André will tear my head off."

"And you still need your head for the office, got it." She gave him a kiss on the cheek over the table, and then cleared away her dishes. "I'm off. Sam, Mer, and I are meeting to discuss the next project for our kids. See you later."

"Of course, have fun," Hugo called after her and then returned to his newspaper.

\- x -

It was always fun to meet with her friends, and better even when they were also her workmates. The three of them sat together and discussed not only the next project, but talked also about God and the world. At the end of the meeting, her cheeks ached from laughing so much. But this great day was far from being over. On the way home, Enid made another trip to the nearest supermarket and bought a pack of TruBlood for her upcoming girls' night. She was well aware that Isabel was sometimes feeding on her uncle, but hey, it was a _girls'_ night, so he wouldn't be around tonight.

At home, she hummed contentedly while preparing everything she wanted to do with Isabel. Manicure, pedicure, various board games... Isabel had once persuaded her to play poker, but that ended in a disaster for Enid. She just didn't stand a chance against Isabel's proverbial poker face while playing. Her eyes also fell on various books that she wanted to discuss with her surrogate mother and put them to the board games. Her first cup of tea was brewed and the microwave was waiting for the first bottle of TruBlood. When she looked at everything and nodded, satisfied, her eyes were suddenly closed from behind.

She started screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

**~ Girls' Night ~**

Enid's eyes were held by cool hands. After the first shock she might have panicked if her attacker hadn't started laughing quietly. Instead, she felt anger rising inside herself.

"Isabel! You're gonna cause me a heart attack. Don't do that ever again!" The vampiress had released her and Enid turned to her with an angry huff. To make her point she crossed her arms over her chest. But instead of regret she saw in Isabel's face only the mischievous joy of having startled her.

"Ah come on, Enid, you're as healthy as a horse, and I wanted to interrupt you from finding more stuff for our common quality time together."

"Why?" Enid asked surprised.

"Because I need your help."

Enid's eyebrows slid up. "My help? What for?"

Isabel went to the couch and sat down. She looked at the nail polish and then gave Enid a questioning look.

"I take the green one today," Enid answered her unspoken question and sat down too. She had already shaped her nails earlier and stretched out her hands so Isabel could apply the paint.

"You know, much of what vampires do these days doesn't stay hidden for long. Our friendship became known. Well, now all the sheriffs of Texas have been urged by our king to provide a good climate between us and the humans. My sheriff is very committed to the cause, but as he also gets tons of special assignments from our king, he has now assigned me to develop a concept for how humans and vampires can get along better with each other in everyday life here in Dallas."

Working with vampire speed, Isabel was already done with the nail polish; she even had time to apply some ornate flowers to Enid's ring finger. "Same color for the feet?"

Enid was still admiring the beautiful flowers and just gave a murmured "yes, please," stripping off her slippers with her feet. As Isabel got back to work, Enid thought about what Isabel had just told her. "Are all vampires standing behind this 'humans are friends and no food' attitude?"

Isabel looked at her worriedly. "Unfortunately not. Many young vampires who can still remember their own human lives aren't the problem. They like to take advantage of the benefits of being a vampire, yes, but they are mostly still morally anchored in their old lives."

Enid nodded in understanding. "The older vampires are the ones who have to be convinced, right? Hmm, that's difficult. I think if you've lived according to certain rules and beliefs for centuries, it won't be easy to throw them overboard."

She was silent for a few moments, thinking hard.

"I think the best way to bring you and us together is to have leisure activities together. Everyone is relaxed, having fun..."

Isabel closed the nail polish bottle and dropped a few drops of quick-drying on Enid's toes. She smiled at Enid.

"Many enjoy card or board games, and chess is often a game of choice too."

Amused, she looked at Enid's Lord of the Rings chessboard and raised an eyebrow in question. Enid chuckled and brought the chess game to the table.

"Do you want a TruBlood?"

"Yes, please."

As Enid warmed the bottle in the microwave, Isabel placed the figures on the board.

"Do you want to drink from a glass or is the bottle okay?" Enid asked loudly.

"The bottle is okay," Isabel called back in a weird tone. Enid frowned. She pulled the heated bottle out of the microwave, walked back and handed Isabel the drink, looking at her questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Isabel shook her head slightly and took a sip. She also looked at the bottle with that weird expression that Enid couldn't read, but she had an idea of what her vampire friend was thinking.

Enid sat back down on a chair, facing Isabel, grabbed a pawn and made her classic opening move. "The real problem isn't the cultural and age differences, right? You worry that we can never really get together because despite the TruBlood, you all still like to drink from us humans."

While counter-moving, Isabel struggled to smile and looked at her with sad eyes. "Not all of us. Some really are satisfied with the synthetic blood, but... someone once said that it is with the TruBlood for us as if humans would only eat tofu instead of a balanced diet. Even though I have never eaten tofu as a human myself, I think that this comparison is quite true."

Enid grunted disapprovingly; within such a short time, Isabel had already managed to sweep off most of Enid's figures. But she wouldn't give up that easily. As she thought about her next move, she simultaneously continued her conversation.

"Isabel... no matter if you eat tofu or steak… these are personal refinements of life that everyone has to decide for themselves, but basically everyone _has_ to eat." Instead of focusing on the game, she looked thoughtfully at Isabel for a moment. "You know, I'm convinced that all life has a meaning." She laughed softly. "I know that sounds sentimental. But you cannot expect anything else from someone who, since a child, was confronted with flora and fauna at every opportunity in every possible country of the world." Her smile slowly disappeared and she became serious again.

"What I mean to say is we humans kill so that we can eat, Isabel. We modern humans like to forget it, but every steak or sausage was once a living animal that was slaughtered so we could feed ourselves. And even as a vegetarian or vegan or fruitarian or whatever else, you eat things that were part of a complex organism. No matter how we feed ourselves, we always take from nature and absorb it. It becomes a part of us. It's the same with vampires; our blood that you drink becomes a part of you too. It's the _how_ that isn't always morally correct. There are people who don't respect and value what they eat, and there are vampires who don't value humans for their blood and simply take it. This is a general social problem of our affluent society that is really not easy to solve. There are just too many who think so..."

Both Isabel's superior chess skills, as well as these far too profound thoughts for a girl's night had caused her a slight headache and she massaged her temples. "One thing I can tell you, Isabel: It's true, vampires should always think about _how_ they eat us, but they shouldn't grieve about _that_ they eat us. Your kind is above us in the food chain, that's just life." She shrugged and cursed Isabel inwardly, for at that moment she had set Enid's king checkmate.

"Rematch?" Isabel asked with a triumphant grin.

"Not today," grumbled Enid, sinking against the back of the chair.

Isabel chuckled and was then suddenly behind Enid, massaging her temples with gentle movements. Enid closed her eyes, relaxed and sighed, satisfied. As her friend then moved on to her shoulders, Enid had a thought. "You know, if you ever don't want to work for your sheriff anymore, you could definitely make a career as a masseuse."

Isabel then laughed with fervor and hugged Enid. "Thank you for sharing your insights with me, my dear. I will definitely share it with my sheriff and keep you up to date. But for tonight we have worked enough, now we will only do the girls' stuff. What do you want to do next?"

  
\- x -

  
The night was still quite young and Enid and Isabel had a lot of fun together until dawn. They spent the time talking about books, sharing the latest gossip of stars and starlets, and chatting whether Enid has already found the right man for life.

At this question Enid snorted in amusement and grimaced. "I almost think my hormones want to let me die lonely... So far, I haven't met a man who has stirred even rudimentary feelings within me..."

Isabel looked at her incredulously. "But you've been with a man before. Haven't you felt anything for the man you gave your innocence to?"

Enid's eyes widened and she choked on her tea, causing her to cough. Isabel gently patted her on the back to help her, but it still took a few minutes for Enid to calm down enough to speak again.

"You know, that's an issue where most human women react sensitively – just beat it off the list of possible conversational topics between vampires and humans..."

"Ah, it is noted. But I'm still curious..." Isabel seemed to become aware of something and looked at Enid with great concern. "This man didn't force himself on you, did he? Tell me, Enid!" She suddenly had a dangerous expression in her eyes, and Enid realized that even the kind-hearted Isabel would become a lioness for those she loved.

She smiled at Isabel and shook her head. "Don't worry. It was by mutual agreement. We had known each other for years, and when we finished high school... well, he was about to go to college and I was almost on my way to Germany..." She chuckled, highly amused. "I admit hormones were involved; we both really wanted it, but real feelings weren't there."

She sighed as she thought back to his shoulder-length ruffled brown hair she had loved so dearly. "He was really sweet and I don't regret it... If I hadn't been a globetrotter like my fathers at that time, maybe more could have developed between us. But so he's just a nice memory for me."

Suddenly, she grinned mischievously at Isabel. "What about you and my uncle?"

Isabel was throwing her a dark look so Enid raised her hands defensively. "I don't want any dirty details. I just want to know if everything is going well with you two. You know, I always see my uncle drooling over you and that he is totally happy if you two... you know..." She had wanted to ask Isabel this question for some time, but couldn't prevent herself from blushing anyway. "Are all vampires good lovers?"

At that Isabel laughed heartily. "Like in any relationship there are fights between your uncle and me. But we get along very well and we love each other very much." Her eyes had taken on a dreamy expression and Enid looked at her admiringly. Yes, she could clearly see Isabel's love in her eyes.

Isabel suddenly looked out of the window and disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. When she returned, she held a brush and a hair tie in her hand and sat down behind Enid.

"The sun is rising soon, I will braid you a plait before going to bed." She was silent for a few seconds, but then she picked up the previous topic and Enid heard her amusement in her tone. "Of course, I cannot speak for all vampires as far as sex is concerned, but many of the older ones have a lot of experience due to years of practice. Does this answer your question?"

Enid blushed even more and again Isabel laughed. _'Treacherous blood,'_ Enid scolded herself inwardly and cursed the super-hearing of her vampire friend. At the same time she enjoyed the feeling of Isabel's hands running through her hair and separating the individual strands to braid them. "Yeah, my curiosity is satisfied for now."

When Isabel finished, she put her arms around Enid and held her close. "Thank you for this great night, Enid. You are one of those people who make me feel alive again."

At her words Enid suddenly realized that it wasn't only her that needed Isabel; the vampire needed her just as much, making it possible for Enid to give something back. Surprisingly, she felt very sentimental and looked at Isabel with tears in her eyes when she turned to face her. "Thanks for letting me know you, Isabel..." Her voice failed.

Isabel looked knowingly at her, brushing the tears from her face and kissing her forehead. "Now off to bed with you and sleep as long as you can. Tomorrow you have to get back to work, my dear."

Without a fuss and with vampire speed, Isabel cleared away the bottles and teacup. Enid meanwhile realized how tired she had become. She yawned behind her hand as she walked into her room and then turned around again.

"Good night, Isabel."

"Sleep well, Enid."


	3. Chapter 3

**~ Looking into a deep blue-gray thunder storm ~**

  
_Knock, knock, day-sleeper. :D When old as dust, you have a desire to teach? History students would be happy..._

Enid sent her message with a smile. Since Isabel had asked for her help a week and a half ago, her thoughts had turned more and more to this project, and since then, she had been bombarding Isabel with messages whenever she could think of anything. Her children were taking a nap right now, and she had come up with the idea that vampires would make great history teachers when Samantha quietly told about her cousin who had decided to study history.

Of course she didn't expect any feedback from Isabel at this time of the day, but later she would write back; she always did. They hadn't seen each other since their girls' night – Isabel had been too busy – but what else were modern communication devices for if not texting? And so the last few days flew by. After her last kid, Jacob, had been picked up by his mother on this Thursday afternoon, she cleaned up with her friends and then went home. It had been an exhausting day and she was looking forward to just putting her feet up for an hour. She didn't have more time to relax because there was still a parent-teacher talk this evening to which she had to go since the parents of her new kid always had to work until late in the evening. Samantha had also invited the parents of one of her kids. After the meeting, they both wanted to try out the new sushi bar which had opened just two blocks away.

After the three had said their goodbyes for now and Enid had gotten into her car, she turned on her radio loudly. The station was playing a country song. Normally she didn't like country music but this one had a catchy melody to which she soon hummed along. She particularly liked songs that were played with banjos and mandolins and other traditional instruments. Thanks to the good music, she arrived at home in a good mood and her tired feet were almost forgotten.

\- x -

Enid was just getting ready for the talk with the parents when the doorbell rang. She quickly opened the door and groaned inwardly when she recognized the visitor.

"Hello, Ms. Griffith. I'm looking for Mr. Ayers. Is he here?" It was Frank Myles, the intern of her uncle.

"Do you ever finish work, Mr. Myles?"

He was a slender, tall young man who did his work with great enthusiasm and was praised by her uncle. He looked at her with a slightly crooked grin. "Not yet... we've got another case that Mr. Ayers will have to look through until tomorrow. Is he here?" he asked again, waving a file, his head bowing slightly, as if trying to look past Enid into the house.

"I'm afraid he's not," she replied, taking the file from him, "but I can give it to my uncle. I know where he is."

"That's really nice of you, Ms. Griffith. Thank you and have a nice evening." With a slight nod, he went to his car which he had parked not far away.

"Well, I guess I have to take a detour," Enid mumbled to herself, then sighed.

Fortunately, she always allowed for a time buffer in her schedules. She would therefore be able to make it to her meeting in time, despite the detour. She looked at herself in the mirror again, adjusted her burgundy blouse, and then tucked her notes and the file into her handbag.

A quarter of an hour later she was already at her destination. She parked at the side of the road, and after removing the ignition key, she was about to get out, but then let herself sink back into the seat. Nervously, she unconsciously played with the key in her hand. It was the first time she would enter the nest of vampires where Isabel worked. She really liked Isabel, but Enid had no illusions. Not all vampires were like her friend. Both her uncle and Isabel had made that clear to her emphatically.

"Okay, Enid…" she murmured to herself, "just be your usual self. It's just going in and then out again – it cannot be that hard..."

No sooner said than done.

She got out and walked steadily towards the front door of the mansion. However, she startled when she suddenly went through an invisible wall that blew a warm tingling sensation over her skin.

"What the..." Astonished, she stopped and looked around. The tingling sensation didn't stop and she looked at her arms to see what it was. But there was nothing to be seen; it was just a feeling. And it was a familiar feeling, Enid suddenly realized. She had felt it before, in a somewhat weakened form, but no doubt it had been the same. When she came to Dallas about a year ago, she had once had that wonderfully warm sensation. She had been jet-lagging at the time and didn't think about it anymore, but now she was beginning to realize that it must have had something to do with the vampires here. _'How strange,'_ she thought and with her eyes closed, she enjoyed the tingling heat on her skin a moment longer before quickly going to the door to ring the bell. Not even two seconds had passed when the door was opened.

Enid stood in awe; in front of her was a tall man who filled all the clichés of a Texan.

"Howdy, Cowboy. That's a fine piece of a hat..." Enid giggled and tried desperately not to laugh aloud. Luckily, the man (her inner voice screamed vampire!) didn't seem to be offended. On the contrary, he looked at her with a big grin and openly sized her up from top to bottom.

"Well, who have we here? The red suits you _very_ nicely. Why don't you come in and we have a good time together, sweetie?" he purred, leaning closer.

Enid frowned, all laughter forgotten. "How rude! Don't you know that you first introduce yourself before inviting someone to dinner? And besides, I'm not on the menu. So… I'm Enid Griffith, looking for Isabel Beaumont. I suppose she's here?"

She put on her best smile and tried not to show how nervous she was. She knew that predators can smell fear, and this vampire was looking at her with an expression that reminded her awfully of hunger. This was probably one of the vampires who didn't like to drink TruBlood...

"Well, I'm afraid Isabel isn't available right now. But you would only be disappointed by her. She already has a human... But I assure you, you're all to _my_ taste," the vampire replied, actually licking his lips. At the same time that Enid thought _'Ewww,'_ she heard someone from within the house call, "Stan, let her in."

It was a gentle voice, clear as a bell, but also with a slight accent that Enid couldn't really classify. Those few words seemed to make her vibrate inwardly, and without a doubt she knew right away that this voice must have belonged to a being older than Stan.

Stan muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch and then stepped aside to let her in. Enid gave him a "thank you" and stole past him, finding herself in a spacious open room which looked surprisingly modern. She would have thought vampires preferred the more cluttered style. Looking around curiously she unconsciously played with her bag when she noticed a young man who studied her with intense eyes. He stood in a doorway with his head tilted slightly to the side. His brown hair was short and neatly cut, but although she had always preferred longer hair on men for as long as she could remember, she thought he looked gorgeous. His most striking feature was a distinctive yet gentle face. He didn't appear to be as showy as Stan but wore a comfy-looking gray sweater and plain loose-fitting pants. She knew he was sizing her up as well, but unlike Stan's look, she didn't feel like this vampire considered her his next meal. This put a real smile on her lips, and with a light step, she approached him. Just outside his comfort zone – did vampires have one too? She made a mental note to ask Isabel later – she stopped and gave him a friendly look.

"Good evening, I'm Enid Griffith. Please excuse the disturbance, but I urgently need to talk to Isabel or-"

"You're Hugo Ayers' niece," he interrupted her suddenly.

So close to him she could now see his eyes better, and when she looked at him in astonishment, she couldn't do anything but admire those deep blue-gray ones that reminded her of something. A thunderstorm? Yes! She had always loved these storms for their cleansing power, and now she stood there, tilting her head to admire the quiet force in his eyes. It was hard to break with them, but with a soft sigh she closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself again.

"Of course you know me," she laughed softly and scratched herself at the back of her head. "I assume Isabel can sometimes be very talkative." Enid saw a light smile on the young-looking vampire's face.

"Yes, little one. Isabel can be very talkative if she has someone interesting to talk about... But I suspect that you really wanted to talk to your uncle? Stan is unfortunately right, both are currently very busy and you cannot speak to them right now. But you are welcome to wait if you wish."

Enid looked over to the cozy couch, but Stan had already sprawled there and invitingly looked at her with a broad grin. He even had the nerve to pat the seat next to him with his right hand and to whistle, calling her over. With a scowl, she turned back to the other vampire and refused as politely as possible.

"Yeah... not really a good idea, you know, but thanks for the invitation. Um..." She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the file.

"My uncle's co-worker brought this file for him; he has to read it through until tomorrow. Would you be so kind as to give it to him when he's… free again?"

Enid had a precise idea of what her uncle and Isabel were doing. Sometimes they just couldn't keep their hands off themselves, to put it simply. Love and physical attraction must be wonderful... Easily embarrassed, she grinned at the other vampire and realized that she didn't even know his name. As she was about to ask, her bag suddenly came to life.

_I kissed a girl and I liked it. The taste of her cherry chap stick. I kissed a girl just to try it. I hope my boyfriend don't mind it._

This time it was up to her opponent to raise his eyebrows and look at her with a wicked glint in his eyes. At the same time, she heard Stan laughing loudly, and before she could blush, she accepted the phone call and turned halfway away.

"What is it, Sam?"

Both vampires could hear that Sam was a woman with a vivid voice when she said that Marcus's parents were there and asked why the hell Enid hadn't shown up yet. The young woman inhaled sharply, looked at her watch and then cursed to herself.

"You know, Marcus is still new to my group, please show them our rooms, I'm on my way!" She threw her cell phone back into her pocket and simply handed the file to the surprised young-looking man.

"Sorry, I really must go..." She walked quickly to the door and threw a "thank you" back at him before she closed the door and hurried to her car.

  
________________________________________

  
A short time after Godric instructed Stan to send Isabel and Hugo to him when they were approachable he was in his office, sitting over some documents he had received. He was respected for his work and he consciously took responsibility for his underlings, knowing what a weak leadership in the vampire community could do. The great revelation had not been a mistake, but his work has required even greater skill and tact since then. It was a time-consuming affair, even with vampire speed, and that did not please him very much lately. In addition, he caught himself more and more often that his focus slipped away and his mind started to wander. Tonight was no difference. The visit of the niece of Isabel's human had been a welcome distraction from routine monotony, even if she could not stay long. At the thought of the young woman a light smile stole onto his face. She had not looked at him with fear but with curious openness, treating him like one of her kind. He wished that all vampire-human relationships would be as wonderful as those between Isabel and Enid.

It had not escaped him that his third in command had looked at him expectantly when she gave him the file and had disapproved that the woman had treated his sheriff with disrespect for his job. But how could she have known he was the sheriff of this area? Isabel was not allowed to talk about their work outside the nest without his explicit permission. She was furthermore just a human and therefore had nothing to do with the politics and customs of his kind. And she had been polite, even with Stan's rude attempts at flirting... Godric's thoughts moved on to her handsome body and soft features. She looked really uncommon with her long white-blond hair and bright green eyes. With her elegant and supple movements she almost reminded him of a cat. He also could not help but inhale her scent and soon realized that although she was no virgin – which was to be assumed after her calm reaction to Stan – she had not been intimate with a man for a long time. It had not been a problem for him to determine that since she had applied a perfume, but it was not too exaggerated. He had really liked that fact. Most women today use either too much perfume or one that smelled too strong and covered the natural scent. Sometimes it even burned partially in his nose.

A knock on his door made him come back from his thoughts to the present. He knew who it was, and with his "Enter," his second in command and her human came into his office.

"Godric, you called us?" Isabel nodded to her superior and motioned Hugo to stand next to her. He greeted the vampire with a polite nod.

Godric looked at the other man and handed him the file. "Mr. Ayers, your niece was here a short while ago and asked me to give you this file. A colleague of yours who had brought it by said that you must look it through until tomorrow."

At the same time that Hugo paled Isabel spoke, "Enid was here? I apologize sincerely, Sheriff, if her behavior was in any way unacceptable."

"That is not necessary, Isabel." Godric gave her a mild smile. "Although Stan will say otherwise, her behavior was nothing but polite and courteous. But I would like Ms. Griffith to come to the nest again. As she had to leave quickly, we unfortunately had no opportunity to introduce ourselves accordingly."

"Of course, Sheriff."

"You may leave then. I am sure Mr. Ayers still has a lot of work to do this night." With another nod from Isabel and a "Thank you for the file, Sheriff" from Hugo both left the office and Godric picked up his documents again. He feared they would keep him busy for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**~ Wanna dance with me? ~**

  
It was just before midnight when Enid came home. Her parent-teacher talk had gone well, and the parents of little Marcus were very happy with the day care so far. After that, Enid and Samantha had gone to _Pescado_. Normally, Meredith would have come as well, but she and her boyfriend already had other plans. At first, the two of them had wondered why the new sushi bar had a Spanish name. But when they met the owners, they knew why: Some time ago the tourist Asuka Nakamura from Osaka had visited the beach bar of Carlos Garcia from Sevilla, and for both it was love at first sight. With her knowledge of sushi, his skill in running a bar and both their passion for cowboys, they had finally landed here. Enid and her friend were absolutely thrilled by this story and had made friends with the couple. When Carlos and Asuka weren't serving guests or mixing exquisite cocktails, they had been talking to them. In particular, Enid was interested in how many vampires were living in Spain and Japan and how the mutual understanding between vampires and humans was there. It turned out that Japanese generally were very open about this topic and advocated international vampire rights.

 _'Well,'_ Enid thought about it, _'that wasn't to be expected otherwise… After all, it had been Japanese scientists who had developed the synthetic blood.'_

Carlos was a bit restrained about vampires because he had lost an uncle in a traffic accident caused by a vampire. But, in general, he had nothing against them either. Overall, the four had gotten along very well, and when Samantha had hinted at having distant Japanese relatives, she and Asuka had almost sworn blood sisterhood.

When Enid and Samantha were about to go home, Enid remembered something and took advantage of the opportunity and their new friendship.

"Hey, Carlos," she smiled at him. "Would you two mind making your bar available for an event?"

Carlos was about to clean a glass and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What kind of event would that be?"

"I have contacts with the local vampire sheriff and they want to improve the relationship between us and them. Therefore, they're looking for places for people to meet in a relaxed atmosphere." Enid put on her best smile and waited impatiently for his reply. He seemed to think it over thoroughly.

When his wife came by from a nearby table and gave him a good-humored "Why not?" he finally agreed. He gave Enid his number, under which the corresponding plans could be made out, even at short notice.

When Enid got home and just wanted to jump quickly into the shower, she heard her uncle call her to his home office. She remembered the file again and hoped that the nice vampire had given it to him. She stood in the doorway to his office and tied her hair to a ponytail so she could take a shower afterwards without delay and then lay down quickly.

"What's up, uncle?"

"Are you okay, Enid?" he asked her in a cautious tone.

She looked at him blankly. "Yeah, why shouldn't I be?"

"Godric gave me the file you brought to me earlier and-"

"Oh, so Godric is his name?" she interrupted him with interest.

Hugo raised his eyebrows in perplexity and stared at her in consternation. "Err yes. Enid... you cannot just take a vampire, and even more a stranger, as an errand boy. If you hadn't met Godric, but... Stan, for example, you wouldn't be standing in front of me so unharmed." He had grown louder and now it was Enid's turn to raise her eyebrows.

"Calm down, uncle, he was really nice and yeah... maybe I just put the file into his hands when I had to go... but I wouldn't have needed that if you or Isabel had been available." She grinned mischievously. "Did you have fun at least?" She wiggled her eyebrows playfully and laughed at him.

"I will _not_ discuss this topic with you, you are my niece!"

"Oh, come on; don't be like that. I'm not a kid anymore, Uncle Hugo. And besides, Isabel has long since taught me about the flowers and bees." She winked mischievously. "But now I'm really tired and want to lie down like a good girl, and I promise you I won't abuse a vampire as an errand boy anymore, okay?" she said in her best girlish voice.

He looked at her playfully angry and then sighed. "Isabel's going to talk to you about it anyway, so goodnight."

"Okey-dokey..."

\- x -

  
Her next day's work came and went without a hitch thanks to the non-alcoholic cocktails at the _Pescado_ the night before and the prospect of a relaxing reading night all to herself. Enid really wanted to start the book that her aunt had sent a few days ago. With a freshly brewed tea, she sat down on the couch and was about to open _Sofies Welt_ when her cell phone announced a message. With a sigh, she picked it up and opened it. She really wanted to start with her book, but she knew that the flashing news light would soon drive her crazy if she ignored it. The message was from her aunt.

_Ist es angekommen? *drück dich*_

Enid frowned and wrote back.

**Ja, danke :-3 Aber keine SMS, T Andrea! Die Kosten!!! Schreib dir bald eine Mail *kuss***

Just when she wanted to put her phone away again, she got another message. She groaned and vowed to turn off the device after this one. This time it was from Isabel.

_Enid, tomorrow night the opening of our human-vampire cooperation project will take place at The Lagoon Nightclub. Are you in?_

_'Ooooh yes,'_ Enid thought and was at once very excited.

**Sure thing, Isabel, will be there! <3**

Just a second later she got a reply.

_10 pm, Latino Dance Night, get dressed accordingly._

She grinned and then really turned off her device. But when she tried to pick up the book again, she realized that her thoughts were already wandering to her closet. She looked sadly at _Sofies Welt_ and vowed to just pick out something for the coming night and then finally devote herself to her book.

She found a black tight neck holder top that did not even reach her navel, but when Enid tried it on, she found it extremely sexy and decided to wear it. She remembered that Andrea had pushed it on her during a shopping spree and now she was grateful for it. Enid had nice clothes to wear and liked to dress elegantly rather than casually when going out, but since she wasn't a regular party girl, her wardrobe was lacking one or two sexy pieces. So she sent her auntie a notional kiss and then rummaged on. She picked up a pair of very _very_ short shorts and held it up. _'Hell no!'_ she just thought and threw it back. It had been ages since she'd cleaned out her wardrobe and decided to do it again soon. She was 24 now and not 14 anymore after all... Finally she found a turquoise skirt that reached to her ankles. It had a tight waistband but was otherwise sprawling so that the skirt could swing beautifully when she danced. Enid sighed contentedly and laid the two pieces neatly over a chair. _'Now all I need is matching shoes and I'm through,'_ she thought and opted for plain flat ballerinas that were also black. She knew high-heeled shoes would look better on the skirt, but she could dance better in flat ones.

After a quick shower, Enid finally managed to read a little bit in bed, but after two hours, her eyes just closed.

  
\- x -

  
The Lagoon Nightclub was already well attended when Enid arrived. She searched for Isabel and felt the music slowly but surely catching her. A song by Shakira was playing just now, and the rest of the way to the bar, she was dancing. Once there, she let her gaze wander over the dancing people and at the same time admired the furnishings. The club was decorated in subtle shades of green, blue and turquoise and even the slight mist over the dance floor glowed blue like in a real lagoon. And that the music wasn't too loud so that you could still talk to someone without shouting was also a plus for Enid.

But, unfortunately, she couldn't find Isabel; she also wondered where exactly the event that Isabel had written about was to take place. When she looked back to the bar and was about to sit down, the vampire to whom she had given the file for her uncle suddenly stood in front of her. A happy smile spread across her face until she beamed at him.

"You! You're here too." Then she was a bit embarrassed. "Um... Godric, right? I wanted to apologize that last time I just had to leave so quickly and abused you as a messenger. I usually don't do such things, you know? But I really didn't have time and..."

Meanwhile, Godric had leaned against the bar with his right arm on the counter and Enid realized he was looking at her in amusement. She chewed on her bottom lip, put her left hand softly on his and looked at him innocently with a smile. "Am I forgiven?"

He seemed to think about it for a while and then suddenly held her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Only if you save me a dance. You are my blind date for tonight, little one."

  
________________________________________

  
Godric was glad to have come here with Isabel. It had been decades since he had last been in an establishment like this and he really wanted to leave the event in Isabel's capable hands. But then she had told him that Hugo's niece would come too. He did not know where this feeling came from, but he found himself in the unusual situation of wanting to get to know this young woman who seemed so full of lust for life. And so he had been waiting for her.

Enid had not seen him, but he had watched her dance to the bar. He had seen her small smile when she noticed that her skirt was swinging in sweeping movements while turning her hips. And now she was standing in front of him, her loose hair only pinned back on one side with a large flower clasp, the tips slightly curled, and she looked at him coquettishly through her eyelashes. She was flirting with him!

It was an understatement that she made him speechless. It was a new experience that he wasn't treated like an authority person and he found it extremely refreshing. Godric felt a new momentum in him and wanted to take advantage of it.

"Am I forgiven?"

There was nothing to forgive, but she did not know that. Wanting to see her reaction, he decided to link his forgiveness to a condition, relatively certain that she would not take it badly. Despite the for his ears loud music, he could clearly hear her heartbeat rising slightly and was enjoying her questioning eyes and her slightly open lips.

He took her hand and kissed its back, then said, "Only if you save me a dance. You are my blind date for tonight, little one."

  
________________________________________

  
"What exactly do you mean by blind date? Has this something to do with Isabel's project? She hasn't told me anything else yet."

Godric smirked at her. "I can bring you to Isabel and explain everything, but first you owe me an answer."

"Mean," she shot back with a laugh, propping her elbow on the bar and supporting her chin on her hand. Enid peered dismissively at him from top to bottom and couldn't help but admire how well he looked in his black pants and the also black half-unbuttoned shirt. That flashed a tattoo that seemed to wind like a chain around his upper body. He was just a little taller than her and would physically make a good dance partner.

She decided to tease Godric a bit. "Well, are you sure you can dance tango? All men who want to dance with me first have to prove that they can master the dance of the dances."

He raised an eyebrow and then suddenly stood directly in front of her, gripping her hip with his left hand and exerting a slight pressure so that she was forced to stand on her tiptoes, her nose only an inch away from his one. "Do you want to challenge me, little one?"

Before Enid could reply, the next song began to play and her eyes widened as she recognized her favorite song, _Lambada_.

She moved closer to his ear and whispered seductively, "What would life be without challenges?" She then looked invitingly into his eyes. "Forget the tango; I want to dance now…"

She saw a dangerous glint in Godric's eyes and then found herself directly on the dance floor. His left hand hadn't let go of her hip and with his right he had raised her arm and held her very close to him. This time it was him who breathed in her ear.

"I have already walked this earth when people still knew how to make good use of their bodies properly, young Enid. You stand no chance with this challenge."

And with that, he slightly bent his knees and slid one leg between her thighs. With their legs so intertwined, he was swinging her across the dance floor to the rhythm of the music. How he managed to not bump into the other dancers was a mystery to Enid, because not once did he redirect his eyes from hers. He let her make spins and twists and turns until she laughed with pure joy and her body literally flooded her with endorphins. All the while he looked at her with a smile that would have melted her heart if it had been made of ice. When the song neared the end, he steadied her lower back while she dipped backwards with a fluid motion, letting her hair fly one last time, and then came back up with a joyful gasp. She pressed her hands on both sides of his face, breathlessly looking deep into his eyes, and then fell around his neck, beaming with happiness.

"My question still stands, little one. Am I acceptable as a blind date?" he asked as he gently stroked her hair. Unlike Enid, he breathed calmly, as if they hadn't just swept across the dance floor like a whirlwind. Her heart still beat frenetically and she felt ecstatic. When she broke away from his neck, he led her from the dance floor and she saw his smile turning into a mischievous grin. "Was that better than a tango? Or do you need a second dance to make a decision?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Yes! Yes! I mean no!" Enid shook her head in confusion. No one had ever danced with her like that. She had learned this dance on a Brazilian beach when she was fifteen, and the people there were known and famous for their sexy dances. But that dance with Godric was a completely different league. It was as if they had been one for a few minutes, and she had felt the music as well as his strength and joy down to the smallest cell of her body. She heard him chuckle and then suddenly faced Isabel. Without her noticing, Godric had led her to an adjoining room where the music was no longer as loud as on the dance floor. Enid was still out of her wits, but still noticed the video camera that Isabel held in her hand. Questioningly, she looked first at Godric and then at her friend again.  
"For blackmail..." Isabel said, grinning. "I hope our sheriff didn't blow your mind too much?"

Enid laughed and denied it with a waving hand gesture. "Oh nonsense…" Then Isabel's words seeped into her brain and her features froze. "Wait, what?" She looked at Godric again and then put her hand on her mouth in fright. "You are the sheriff of this area?"

When she asked that, a faint look of fear crept into Godric's eyes. Did he think she would change her behavior towards him? That didn't matter to her. Even if he were the sheik of some oil well, as long as he treated her like he did before, she would too.

"That's great!" she exclaimed. "But then, why are there any problems between you and us?" Both vampires looked genuinely surprised. "Seriously, guys, with Godric as sheriff and you as his second, Isabel, I don't know why there are any interaction problems at all." But then she remembered the interview with that hateful reverend she had seen just that afternoon and that sobered her immediately. "Never mind..."

She sighed and turned back to her fantastic dance partner. "Thank you, Godric, for this wonderful dance." Enid gave him a genuine smile. "I really would like to be your blind date for this evening." She looked at both vampires in turn. "So, how exactly is this dating planned?"

  
________________________________________

  
Isabel gave her ward a warm smile. She hadn't known why her sheriff was going to come to the event, but when she saw him sneaking up on Enid, finally swinging her on the dance floor, she was astonished. She had never seen him like that before! Her usually so stoically standing, barely an emotion permitting sheriff could dance, of whom even she could learn a few more moves. And she had it in her blood. When she heard that he wanted Enid as a blind date, she was no longer surprised – although she briefly considered explaining him the principle of such an event in private again. But just as she knew Godric, he would simply stare at her with his distinctive expression until she gave her peace. So she decided to drop the matter and was happy for Enid, as well as for Godric, that the two seemed to have so much fun.

"So, how exactly is this dating planned?"

She turned to Enid. "In principle, it is easy. There are plenty of vampires and humans willing to get to know each other better, and of everyone who wanted to join in, we wrote down the names and put them into the two bowls over there. In just a few minutes, Godric, as the initiator, will draw a piece of paper from each to pair them up, and the two will then have thirty minutes to ask each other all sorts of things; after half an hour, the pairings will change or they can continue their conversation if they want to."

That had been one of her ward's very first SMS suggestions to her and now Enid looked touched. But Isabel honestly didn't think that so many would actually be so interested in the idea. She scanned the attendees and was proud of Dallas. 34 humans and vampires waited expectantly to be chosen. There were others sitting around them at the bar too, and Isabel could hear from the conversations that they were friends of the participants. At the next words, Isabel turned around again.

"Wow," Enid muttered. "Change the minds of some and you're changing the world." Her favorite female human turned to her sheriff. "Go do it..." She saw that Enid took Godric's hands in hers, squeezed them and smiled brightly at him; it warmed Isabel's undead heart. "Change the world, Godric."

________________________________________

Ist es angekommen? *drück dich* ---- Has it arrived? *hugs*  
Ja, danke :-3 Aber keine SMS, T Andrea! Die Kosten!!! Schreib dir bald eine Mail *kuss* ---- Yes, thanks :-3 But no SMS, A(unt) Andrea! The costs!!! I'll write a mail soon *kiss*


	5. Chapter 5

**~ A missed opportunity? ~**

It was good that Godric was the one who drew the names and then handed them to Isabel to read them aloud and guide the couples to the tables. This way, Enid had time to compose herself a little and, admittedly, admire Godric's body in his seductive clothes. She had to hide a grin behind her hand, because just when she thought how sexy his butt looked, he turned around and his eyes found hers.

Then he was at her side again, holding out his arm like a gentleman. She put her arm on his and felt his fingers gently around hers while she looked him in the eyes.

"What now?"

Instead of answering, he led her to a quiet corner with a long couch. "What would you like to drink?"

While Enid sat down, surprised how comfortable the green couch was, she thought hard about it. She had intended to drink something alcoholic, but with this turn of the evening, she preferred to abstain from it. Who knew, maybe he wanted to dance with her again; she should then be able to keep up with him and not hang in his arms like Jell-O. That alone commanded her self-esteem.

"I'll take a non-alcoholic cocktail, you can surprise me..."

One second he was still standing in front of her and the next he was gone. Perplex, Enid tried to find him in the dim light. Although most of the people in the room were seated and dated their allotted partners, she needed a few minutes to find Godric with her eyes. He stood with Isabel at the bar and was just served two glasses. After a nod to Isabel, he came back to her and handed her the drink with a slight bow. Enid gave Godric a heartfelt "thank you" and started to play almost unconsciously with the decorative umbrella. As he sat down beside her, she took a sip and closed her eyes with a comforting sigh. But then she looked at him mischievously grinning.

"You cheated."

At his questioning glance, Enid nodded toward Isabel. "There's definitely peach in it and Isabel knows that I like to drink peach juice." She pulled at the straw again and thought about it. "Hmmm... kiwi. And pineapple, passion fruit... and something else." She looked questioningly at Godric while she took another sip.

"That was all correct, little one, plus banana and, as I was told, a hint of cocoa as a secret ingredient."

"Cocoa?" When Godric nodded in agreement, she couldn't resist a pleasurable "wow".

"This is delicious, Godric! Thank you. What's the name of this cocktail?"

"It's a _Tropical Mystery_." He gave her a gentle smile and waved his glass lightly with his hand.

"Ah, I have to remember that."

When he sipped at his glass, she was a little lost for words and nervously smoothed her hair with one hand. To gain time, she made herself comfortable by leaning against the couch with her right shoulder and crossed her legs. Holding her cocktail in her lap, she studied him again. And then she remembered something she had wanted to ask him.

"So... I have an exclusive meeting with the sheriff of area 9 of Texas. How come you don't wear a sheriff badge? You know, if you were wearing one, I'd have recognized you as the vampire sheriff." She winked at him.

A strange expression crept into his eyes and he answered in a decidedly neutral tone, "Would you have behaved differently then?"

Enid frowned, thinking. Would she have behaved differently? That seemed important to him, and she suddenly realized how much Isabel respected him. But when she talked about him, it was always about him in his position as sheriff; never as a person.

Before she could speak, he continued.

"Vampires have no badges, neither the sheriffs nor our higher authorities. As I understand it, the humans who held the office of a sheriff in past times wanted to stand out from the crowd and therefore pinned badges on their chests so that they would be recognized. An officer from the Dallas Police Department I work with told me once that nowadays each tip of the sheriff's star represents a principle of human police ideology too."

Enid nodded in agreement. "I read something about it a few years ago; I think that was loyalty, honor, integrity, knowledge, character, courtesy and judgment."

"Correct. But vampires have their own rules. My kind does not have such sentimentality. No vampire would submit to a simple badge; they only bow to power and age. And because we feel how strong and old our counterpart is, we do not need an indicator such as a badge."

Godric was still talking in the same unemotional tone and that was starting to scare Enid a bit. "I understand..." she said and she really did. Because of their diet, vampires were trapped between their past lives as humans and those of predators. It was a fine line they had to walk on a daily basis and sometimes it was easier to surrender to the supposedly good feeling of superiority and to drop all morality. Humans did that often enough too. And to keep them in check, vampires needed a strong authority that didn't show any weaknesses. Enid looked at Godric and knew that this circumstance made him lonely.

Godric only looked at her doubtfully and said nothing.

"You know... I confess I might not have acted so boldly on the first day we met had I known you were Isabel's boss. But tonight would have been different because-"

He stiffened and interrupted her. "No. Enid, you do not understand. Unlike humans, we vampires do not have time to sit back and enjoy the time. Right here and now, I am the sheriff of this area too and even as I talk to you, I have all the other vampires in this club in sight and could intervene at any time if one did not follow the rules."

Enid looked down on the floor and didn't know what to say. It was clear that she no longer sat facing the meek man who had danced so passionately with her. Was he tired of talking to her? Did he even want to hear her opinion on this subject? Could he even if he was here in his position as sheriff? His whole posture screamed denial, and when he turned away from her and let his eyes slip over those present instead of paying her attention, Enid got goose bumps and suddenly had to fight tears. She didn't know what was going on; usually she wasn't prone to tears. But she liked him, had felt comfortable with him, and now... Squeezing her cocktail, she stood up and said goodbye as calmly as she could.

"Thank you for the time you've had for me. I won't bother you any longer, Sheriff Godric. Have a nice evening."

  
________________________________________

  
Godric was lost in his thoughts. This evening was meant to bring humans and vampires closer! And now he was sitting here and keeping Enid at a distance. He wanted her to be aware of the dangers of being with vampires, wanted her to understand his point of view.

But when she got up and said goodbye, addressing him with his title, he realized he had gone too far. He felt a stab in his undead heart. Now had happened what he exactly had feared. Now she, too, saw him only as a sheriff and he could do nothing but sit there petrified and watch her leave. He saw a tear sparkle in the corner of her eye and wanted to stop her and speak to her, but then Isabel already approached Enid. He sat back on the couch and when he saw Enid storming past Isabel too, he heard the glass crunching, which he still held in his hand. When Enid left the room, his second stood in front of him and carefully took the glass out of his hand.

"Godric, what have you done?" Isabel sighed and rubbed her left temple.

"I will talk to her."

But before he could pass Isabel, she grabbed his arm. "No..."

Godric gave her a stern look and she let him go again.

"I apologize, but you should listen to me where Enid is concerned, Godric. Give her time; she just needs it right now."

He nodded and let his eyes glide once more over the numerous participants who seemed to have more fun than he had, if he could trust the happy and interested faces. "The first round will be over in a few minutes. Please see to it that everything proceeds accordingly."

His longtime confidant bowed her head respectfully. "Of course, Godric."

When Isabel left, he went after Enid. He would of course keep his distance, but he wanted to make sure that she was fine. All the vampires present had heard that their sheriff had talked to this young woman for a long time, which made Enid interesting in their eyes. Even if he had unconsciously chased her away, she did not have to suffer and suddenly face other vampires.

He found her immediately. She was sitting in a corner at the bar, her forehead resting on her clasped hands. Her eyes were closed and he could hear her breathing heavily in and out. Should he just go to her and ask for the second promised dance after their date was obviously over? Such a situation was completely foreign to him. He hadn't felt nervous for centuries! Several times he was on the verge of sitting down next to her to clear their misunderstanding. But each time his instincts stopped him. He had not interacted privately with humans, let alone young women, for ages, so he did not know what behavior was appropriate. But for as long as he had lived this undead life, he had always been able to rely on his instinct.

Godric decided to watch her discreetly from a distance. But only a few minutes after he had settled in another corner of the hall, he suddenly saw a man sitting down next to Enid. He was a human. But Godric found himself growling at the idea that this man – whose boozy breath he could smell from where he was watching – was talking to his Enid.

He was immediately startled by his own thoughts. His Enid? When had he become so possessive of her?

Because of his thoughts, he almost missed the beginning of their conversation. He quickly focused his attention exclusively on the two humans at the bar.

"Hey pretty lady, what's up?"

Godric noted with a satisfying feeling that Enid gave him only a disapproving look and apparently did not want to respond to the man. Unfortunately, said man wanted to go on.

"Come on, you pretty thing. Talk to me. Hey, I'm Taylor." When he tried to put his arm on hers, she pulled hers away.

"And I'm not interested." She waved to the bartender and ordered another _Tropical Mystery_.

When this Taylor wanted to turn her on with a "Come on, I buy you one," she looked at him angrily.

"I said that I'm not interested! What's so hard to understand?"

"Woah, hey, all right, sweetheart. I saw you with that guy there, you know, the vamp... You didn't seem to be happy with him and I thought you preferred someone living instead of such a cold fish."

Enid could not see it from where she sat, but Godric did not miss the fact that this Taylor stroked his crotch while speaking. A rumble that came from deep within his chest frightened a few dancers around him, but that didn't matter to him that very moment. As this creep continued to try to persuade Enid, Godric got ready to intervene at any time.  
"What did he say to you, my sweetheart? Did he want to make you believe that all vamps are totally nice and then drink your blood? Do you like something like that? I can also bite you, my beauty..." He leaned over to her with a disgusting grin and put his hand on Enid's thigh.

Godric lost it at the same time as Enid. She pushed his arm aside and stood up. "Touch me again and you'll end up in the hospital," she threatened him. However, when she turned to leave with her cocktail, he actually had the audacity to reach for her butt.

Before his Enid could react, Godric had already grabbed that bastard and pressed him against the bar. He heard distant shouts and saw out of the corner of his eye that one of the two doormen came running.

"What's going on here?"

The bouncer wanted to reach for Godric, but Enid stopped him. "Good that you are here, that bastard molested me!"

"Okay, everybody's gonna calm down. Are you all right, Miss?" At her nod, the man tried to control the situation. "Miss, which of these two has molested you?"

Before Enid could speak, the bastard spoke again. "Mister, this is a vamp! He wanted to drink her blood and jumped on me abruptly too!"

Godric found it really hard to compose himself again and to not rip the tongue out of his lying mouth.

"What? No! He lies. It was him who touched me, although I told him several times to leave me be."

"Are you sure, Miss? This vampire does not seem to be harmless either." The doorman glared nervously at Godric and did not really know who exactly he was going to throw out.

But then Enid stepped beside Godric and laid her hand on his forearm. It was a very calming gesture and he closed his eyes for a split second to regain his composure.

"This is the vampire sheriff Godric of our city. He is also the organizer of the event that takes place tonight in the side room and he behaved towards me like the gentleman that he is."

The bouncer's eyes widened as she spoke, and when she begged the man to throw the troublemaker out, he rejoiced with renewed enthusiasm when Godric handed him this Taylor.

The bystanders who had heard the exchange applauded as the bastard was towed to the door. But Godric's thoughts were already back on Enid. She had defended him. True, what else could she have said as an honest witness? But her voice had been gentle – and she still had not pulled her arm away from his. Maybe he could still save this evening…

With a careful movement, he took her hand in his and led her to one of the few unoccupied tables.


	6. Chapter 6

**~ A bath in the moonlight ~**

  
There he was again, the attentive nice guy. But he kept himself so upright and locked up tight that Enid didn't know how to get past his vampire shell which he carried like a shield. She waited for him to say something, but he only looked at her with an intense expression in his eyes. After a few minutes of silence, Enid sighed and looked down while she massaged her temples.

"Thank you, Godric, for your help with this guy." She looked up and sought out his eyes. "But you don't have to feel obliged to sit here with me now."

"Enid-"

"Actually, I wanted to dance a bit more and then go home. You don't have to take care of me, I can do it myself," she assured him. "I don't want to give you more work than you already have." In addition to their mood, a rather melancholy song just started playing. She laughed inwardly. _'What a suitable accompaniment...'_

"I know what your position means to you, so please don't bother yourself with me," she said as he remained silent. Enid sighed again and gave him a sad smile.

She expected him to leave now, but she only saw him frown. "What do you mean? Enlighten me please."

Enid chewed on her bottom lip and then took a deep breath. _'Okay, Enid, you can do it. What could happen, worst case? That he wants nothing more to do with you? If there's the slightest chance he will be himself again, I can live with it.'_

Nervously, she looked around for Isabel. "Is it possible that Isabel could take over your duties completely for a while? Here and now I mean?"

Godric raised his eyebrows and wondered what she was getting at. "That is possible. When I am not present, my second will automatically be in command."

"Okay." Enid got up. "Then come with me."

Without turning back, she headed for the exit and stepped out into the pleasantly warm night air. She had already moved away from the club a bit when she felt a breeze and Godric suddenly walked beside her.

"I thought you liked the music. Why did you want to leave now?" he asked Enid with a curious undertone in his voice.

Enid walked on and headed for the park, which wasn't too far away. She still didn't look at him when she answered his question.

"I wanted to get away from the other vampires."

When he suddenly stood in front of her and held her by her upper arms, Enid was startled.

"Little one, you have nothing to fear from them. I would not let anything happen to you. I told you that."

Now it was her turn to frown. Then she laughed softly. "Oh silly, I didn't want to leave because I was scared, but because of you."

That had apparently dumbfounded him because he cocked his head and asked in disbelief, "Excuse me?"

She laughed again and put her hands on his arms. Breathing in the pleasant night air, she drew him on. "Can you promise me something?"

"What do you have in mind, little one?"

She half turned to him while walking and looked at him seriously. "Promise me I can talk to _you_ the rest of the night and not you as the sheriff."

"I am afraid I do not understand you properly, little one. I am the sheriff."

"Yes, you are. But, Godric, you're so much more. First and foremost, you're an independent person like everyone else."

Meanwhile, they had reached the park and Enid headed for the small lake which was hidden behind trees. There she gestured Godric to sit and he settled down cross-legged. She herself knelt behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Enid-"

"Sssh, Godric. Relax. Just relax…" she breathed in his ear and began to knead his upper arms and shoulders.

"You know… I feel comfortable in your presence and would like to be your friend. I think you don't have many friends in your position and that's why you've forgotten how to differentiate between yourself and you as a sheriff."

With steady movements, she stroked from his shoulders to his neck and back.

"When we danced earlier... that was _you_. You were totally laid back and had fun, right? But after that you fell back into your role as sheriff. I'm sorry, Godric. I... I didn't know at that time how to react and, frankly, was a bit hurt too. I know that you're a vampire and I know what that means. I see you for what you are. Since I came here and started living with my uncle, I've known Isabel. She taught me well about your kind without revealing your secrets. I understand now that it's hard for you to open yourself up. That's why I wanted to come here with you. Here are no other vampires around. You know, no spying ears, and you don't need to be a sheriff now."

When she felt that he was relaxing a bit, she extended her massage to his upper back. She felt his pleasant growling through his cool skin more than hearing it.

"I think you're overworked. Isabel has often complained to me that Stan often takes a break from his duties, and besides our irregular girls' nights, she is very attentive to herself too. But I've never heard her say that you have freed yourself from your duties. That's what you confirmed yourself earlier too..."

With circular movements, she wanted to continue her massage but he suddenly put his right hand on her left and turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye.

"I am over two thousand years old, little one, and have been a sheriff for a very long time now. It is not easy for me to mess up my previous life just to... have fun."

"I understand that, Godric. I really do. But do you know what I think? You long for it. You long for a change, no matter how small it is. Your eyes sparked while dancing, and your aura literally shone with joy." She stopped moving and rested her forehead against his head. "After that... you were like dead."

Godric laughed humorlessly. "Technically, vampires are dead."

"Oh yeah?" She got up, sat down in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. "When you're all dead, why are you moving? Why are you drinking? Why are you thinking and having sex and living the way you live? No, you're not dead, Godric! Some... magic might freeze you during the day, but do you know what? There are also flowers that only bloom at night!"

Now that she was sitting in front of him, she could see that she had apparently amused him. His liveliness had returned to his eyes and a smug smile lit up his face.

"So you say I am a night flower?"

"Well, why not?" she teased him. As they sat next to a cluster of flowers, she picked a few and tied a wreath. Godric watched her with interest and when she was done, she put the wreath on his head. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and she couldn't help it – she laughed out loud.

He also chuckled for a while but soon became serious again. "There are plenty of humans who think we are freaks of nature."

"And do _you_ feel like a freak?" she asked him in return. "I tell you what. You are a freak. And that is a good thing. Because there's beauty in you. There's always beauty in being a freak because uniformity is boring and not very desirable in my eyes."

She smiled warmly at him, but something dark distorted his features.

"I am afraid that I am much worse than just a freak."

That got her attention. "Why?"

Godric didn't say anything for a while, but then he raised his hand and stroked her cheek. But he didn't linger there. He let his hand slide further down until it covered her throat, while he looked at Enid with an absent look.

"You have no idea of the abominations I have committed in my life, young Enid. I slaughtered countless people, men and women. And I enjoyed it."

Enid felt that they had just gotten to the real problem of his issues.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Godric looked at her incredulously.

Enid took his second hand and put it around her throat as well. "I'm sitting here, Godric. I see you and I trust you. I'm sure you committed those acts in your young vampire years, right? Today you're different." An idea knocked on her brain and let her grin at him mischievously. "You know, changing your behavior is also a trait of the living, not the dead." Enid took his hands then and kissed both on his palms. The smile she elicited from him while doing so warmed her heart.

"So let me clarify that. You killed a lot of people and you certainly were not the only vampire that acted that way."

After his nod, she continued.

"Let me tell you that the current world population is heading for seven billion. That is no excuse for wiping out many lives on your own; but mankind survived it, Godric. It was certainly not good and catastrophic for every one of your victims. After all, dying is never nice, but... if you look at the bigger picture, the natural balance, then it makes sense. I believe that everything that happens in nature has its purpose."

Enid looked at him thoughtfully and, if she was honest with herself, a little anxious. "Did you... kill children too?"

"No!" he exclaimed at once. Godric held her hands with his left and cupped her head with his right one so he could stroke her forehead with his thumb. "With my hands I have eradicated countless lives, but no blood of children sticks to them."

With a faint smile she gave in to the deep feeling of relief and leaned into his hand. "You see? Even then you had a moral concept." She closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of him stroking her forehead.

"Every life ends sometimes. But when children are taken out of life, that's pointless and... unfair."

The last word she had whispered, but then she laughed quietly and humorlessly. "Unfair. That's a bit cynical, isn't it? This is a typical human feeling, and the natural balance doesn't care about what we consider unfair. But children haven't really lived just yet, and when they die, it's just…" Enid's voice failed and she looked sadly at Godric while her thoughts wandered to all the sick children of the world, like young Kayla for instance.

"Unfair," Godric finished her sentence.

"Yes." She looked him in his eyes and felt suddenly ashamed.

"Man, I wanted to cheer you up. Instead, I'm moping."

He seemed to ponder something. Then Godric suddenly leaned forward and kissed first her forehead and then both her cheeks in slow motion. At first, Enid was startled by the sudden movement, but when his soft lips touched her skin, she closed her eyes with a sigh. When he sat back, she almost followed him because his touch had felt so good.

"I enjoy our conversation a lot, little one. And of course you can be sad around me too. As I understand the concept of friendship, we are to support each other when having negative feelings."

She immediately gasped in anticipation. "So we _are_ friends, yes?"

  
________________________________________

  
Godric's undead heart leaped joyfully when seeing her reaction and he nodded. "It is an honor to have you as a friend, Enid." He wrapped all his hopes and desires in that one sentence. And his feelings seemed to have reached her, because she held her hand over her mouth, touched. She blinked a couple of times in rapid succession and then got up.

"I have an idea of how we can come up with more positive thoughts." Again, she looked at him with a mischievous grin. "You can swim, yes?"

Of course, Godric was able to swim, but for a moment, he just sat there, obtuse, and wondered about her swift change of feelings. With quick movements she stripped off her skirt and top and Godric suddenly faced her seductive body. She wore a black and white spotted bra and panties. Without shyness she stood in front of him, showing her feminine curves. He let his gaze glide over her body, and what he saw ignited a fire deep inside him that he had not felt for many years. He watched as she walked the short distance to the shore with careful steps and put one foot into the water. Laughing, she turned to Godric and waved him over.

This woman confused him more and more. She awakened a side in him that had been dormant for a very long time, hidden under all the layers of blood and violence and restrictions of his vampire life. Rather than cowed, she was outspoken and open about his aura, the natural balance and his brutal past as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Who are you?"

She looked back to him and raised her eyebrows. Then a wicked glint came into her eyes. "Someone who will be most dissatisfied if you don't come here right now, my friend!"

"I do not know a human woman who is so unreserved with standing in her underwear..." And she looked good. His Enid had no idea how much he had to fight to keep his fangs hidden. When he heard her beautiful laugh again, a tingling sensation ran over Godric's skin and he let out a low possessive growl.

"Oh, Godric, whether I'm wearing a bikini or my underwear, where's the difference? I don't see any." Then she looked at him pouting and with a muttered "I'm off," she let herself slip into the water.

Godric really did not know what to do. He had just won her as a friend and now he was already feeling aroused by the thought of them both swimming in the lake. Should he risk getting closer and maybe destroy the blossoming friendship? If he did not touch her, nothing untoward might happen. He really wanted to have fun and she promised it.

Before his brain could make a decision, his hands had already betrayed him by unbuttoning his shirt and stripping it off. Enid seemed to like that, because she applauded and cheered him on.

"Come in, come in. It's wonderful."

Within seconds, he was on the shore, only wearing short boxers and jumping after her, feeling freer than he had for a long time.


	7. Chapter 7

**~ 3 weeks later ~**

  
Enid rubbed her forehead in frustration. It was Friday afternoon again and she was busy cleaning up for the weekend with Samantha. Their friend Meredith had gone home earlier today because she didn't feel well, and Enid feared that she had become infected too. She had a sore throat and her thoughts were muddled. She absolutely couldn't have that now. In a few hours, there would be a karaoke evening taking place in the sushi bar _Pescado_. Groaning, she sat down on a chair she had been about to put up on the table. Her friend looked pityingly at her, then went and got her a Nurofen out of her bag.

"Thanks, Sam..."

"I hope it'll help. After all, you want to blow everyone away with your voice." Samantha winked at her.

"Yeah… you sure you don't wanna come?" She threw in the pill and washed it down with a big sip of water.

Samantha snorted. "Me and karaoke? You know how I like to sing," she returned with a sarcastic laugh. "The only songs I get out neatly are nursery rhymes."

They both laughed and got back to work.

"Besides, I cannot go there tonight if your sheriff friend will be there too. The moment he sees me, he'll let you down right away and just wants to be with my beautiful self," she teased Enid.

Enid threw a small ball at her. "Ha ha. How many times must I say that we have no relationship? We're just friends."

"Ooooh, I forgot." Samantha rolled her eyes. "And how's your _friendship_ going?"

"Considering the fact that he has little time due to his job, things are going well. I bother him every evening with a personal question when he gets up, and before I go to sleep, he writes back his answer."

Enid saw her friend smile knowingly. "Something like 'What's your favorite food' or-" She obviously remembered who they were talking about. "Forget about the food... favorite color?" She looked questioningly at Enid.

With a beaming smile, Enid pulled her phone out of her pocket and searched for the message.

_"Dear Enid, I have never looked more deeply into favorite colors before you asked, but I have always liked the restrained color compositions of the Renaissance artists. But knowing that you had a busy day today, I do not wish to disturb your coming sleep with a lecture about art. Just know this: the nature's natural greens, browns and blues appeal to me the most. And if I might say, I have recently discovered that black and white dotted fabrics are not to be despised as well."_

While Enid proudly read Godric's answer, Samantha sighed theatrically several times. At the last sentence she frowned. "Such a sweetie but... what's that about black and white dotted fabrics?"

Enid blushed a bit. "Oh that's because we were swimming three weeks ago..." she said, pulling her shirt over her shoulder so that Samantha could see her bra.

"What? Ha! I knew it." She laughed at her. "Just friendship, as if..."

"Hey, I'm not talking crap! Should I swim naked with him instead of in my underwear? I don't think so."

Samantha gave her a grinning look. "Okaaay, so just friendship from your side. Does your friend know that too? I mean, if he likes your underwear..." She laughed heartily and grabbed her bag. All rooms were prepared for the next week and they could close.

When she stepped out into the cool evening air and searched for her car key in her pocket, Enid sighed. "Godric is a real gentleman." She paused and looked at her friend dreamily. "Honestly… I wouldn't mind if he wanted more. It feels really good when he touches me and..." With a sheepish smile she whispered softly. "I like him a lot, you know. He is really special."

"Wow, you actually have a crush on him, Enid." Samantha hugged her friend and squeezed her tight. "Remember, mortal life is short, use your time useful and wisely."

Enid laughed quietly at that. "Now you sound like a fortune cookie."

Together they went to their cars, and before Samantha got into hers, she gave Enid some more good advice. "Just do it, sweetheart. Grab him. And don't wait too long. If he's really as special as you say, he has a lot of admirers. Oh, and give my greetings to Asuka and Carlos."

When Samantha drove away, Enid sat in her car for a while, thinking. Then she pulled out her cell phone and wrote her next question to Godric.

**What kind of morning person are you?**

  
\- x -

  
She was delighted. Although Enid had no idea if this had really just been a Nurofen, the stuff had helped. She felt great and was looking forward to the next hours. Dancing, she swept through her room and eliminated the chaos that she had caused when she was looking for the appropriate outfit for the karaoke evening. And that hadn't been easy. Did she want to look sexy today? Or rather like the nice friend from next door? She tried to imagine what Godric would wear. Certainly one of his earth-colored jumpers that suited him so well... Enid had finally decided on tight jeans and a deep green sleeveless tunic.

On her way to the _Pescado_ she did some vocal exercises to be prepared. When she got there, some participants from the first human-vampire interaction program, as Isabel now officially called it, were already present. The project had started well and had already made waves. More and more people seemed to trust the vampires and were willing to interact with them. On the other hand, the vampire haters, like this reverend with his Fellowship of the Sun church, also received more and more popularity. Enid only hoped that they wouldn't become openly violent, in addition to preaching their hate in their church.

At the door, she suddenly heard her name and looked around searchingly. Behind her came her childhood friend Claudia.

"Claudia, so great you made it." With a big grin Enid fell around her neck.

"I wouldn't miss that, ma chérie." Claudia hugged her back.

"You look great," said Enid with a little envy in her voice. "How do you always manage these great hairstyles?"

Her friend laughed and looked at her mischievously. "Exercise, Enid. Just exercise. Should I fix you up a bit too? We still have some time..." Claudia peered into the bar and then pulled her back towards the parking lot. At her car she opened her trunk and gestured for Enid to sit on the edge.

"But please don't do something too pompous, okay? I don't want to stand out," Enid said nervously, but Claudia calmed her.

"Don't worry. Your hair will just look plain and simple…" She leaned close to Enid's ear and whispered, "And beautiful. I'm sure he won't take his eyes off you."

With a jerk Enid turned around and looked at her friend shocked and with a red face. "Claudia!"

"Shush! You don't want him to overhear us, do you?" She smiled. "When we went to my car again, he looked at us weirdly from behind the door. Like he wanted to hold you in his arms as fast as possible..." She sighed in amusement and parted three strands of Enid's hair. Then she started from the forehead, braiding them loosely backwards, always adding a little more hair, up to the back of Enid's head. There she tied the strand with hairpins and smoothed hair over it.

"Done, ma chérie. Now go pick up your welcome kiss."

Enid stared at her friend playfully annoyed. "You are as bad as Sam!" she accused Claudia and then hugged her. "Thank you."

Claudia just laughed, locked her car again and when the two went back to the bar, Enid was nervously playing with a strand of her hair. Halfway to the bar, Asuka met both and greeted them stormily.

"Is this not fantastic? So many guests are already here! The evening is going to be great." She clapped her hands enthusiastically. Before Enid could speak, Asuka took Claudia's hand and pulled her along. "Come, I have to show you something."

Enid watched the two depart, her mouth open, but Claudia just shrugged and called, "See you later!"

For two seconds, Enid felt completely confused and stood there with drooping shoulders. But then she felt Godric's warm aura behind her and smiled. At the same time he said her name she turned around and tried to glare at him. "That was your doing just now, am I right?"

Godric cleared his throat and smiled. "I apologize, but I wanted to speak to you alone." He put his hand on her lower back and led her to a table where a _Tropical Mystery_ was already waiting for her.

Without thinking, she turned to him and kissed him on his cheek, whispering, "Thank you Godric." As she wanted to lean back, she realized that he still had his hand on her back and held her tightly. She looked up into his eyes and gasped. His eyes still had that wonderful color like a thunderstorm, but they had become noticeably darker. She didn't dare to move and wondered if he would kiss her now. Their lips were only inches apart, and she felt her heart beat faster and faster. But instead of kissing her, he bowed his head and began to slide his nose down her throat as he inhaled her scent with deep breaths.

"You asked me what kind of morning person I am, Enid."

Godric straightened up again, and after she simply nodded, he cupped her chin with his free hand, so she couldn't avert his gaze. As he stroked her cheek with his thumb, he continued to purr.

"Because of my age, I always wake up some time before sunset. The other vampires in my nest have not gotten this skill yet, so I do not have any conversational partners to look forward to each night. That is the reason why I like to stay in bed a bit longer. But without a bed partner to cuddle with that is also not always pleasant."

Enid's heart was rapidly beating up to her neck now. She was so attracted by his eyes, his voice and the wonderful feeling of his fingers on her skin that she was about to throw the last inhibition overboard and just kiss him. She wanted it. She wanted him. And while she whispered his name with longing, he drew her even closer. All the other people around her were forgotten; she didn't even hear the music anymore or the first voices that had started to sing. It was as if he had wrapped her in his warm blanket of power and she couldn't and didn't want to free herself.

But as she closed her eyes and continued to approach his lips in a final move, she stiffened suddenly. Her cell phone had started playing _Larger than Life_. There was only one girl in her group whose favorite band was the Backstreet Boys.

Kayla's parents were calling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Dark chapter! Read with caution and take care of yourself.

**~ Death knocks ~**

"Is everything all right, Enid?" Godric asked her and looked at her worriedly.

"Um... don't know." He took a step back to give her some room and she hastily searched for her cell phone in her bag. "I have to answer that." Enid gave him an apologizing look and accepted the call.

"Yes, hello?"

"Ms. Griffith?" she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Yes, who's speaking please?"

"I'm Nurse Clarice from the hospital; one of the nurses who tend to Kayla Trower. Mrs. Trower gave me her phone so I could call you. Her daughter woke up and asked for you. Is it possible for you to come over?"

"Sure, of course," Enid confirmed immediately.

"Ms. Griffith... it's really important that you come without delay."

Enid felt herself growing pale. Her knees started shaking. "I'll be on my way right away. I'll probably need twenty minutes or so."

"Okay, then I'll already register you at the reception so you can be brought upstairs when you arrive."

"Thank you..."

After she hung up she just stood there for five seconds and looked at her phone.

"Enid?" The concern in Godric's eyes was obvious and that brought her back to the here and now.

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "I'm so sorry, Godric, I have to go."

"May I help you?"

"No... no, I just have to go." Without looking back, she stormed out of the bar and ran to her car. All kinds of thoughts circled her mind, but the need to focus on the traffic helped her a lot.

She even made it to the hospital in fifteen minutes, and when she signed up at the reception, she had managed to sort out her feelings so that she could actually enter Kayla's room with a small smile.

It was a single room, and Kayla's parents were both standing on the right side of her daughter's bed, holding her hand tightly. The girl was awake and slowly turned her head when she heard the door was opened. Enid was well enough in control of herself that she didn't flinch. The little girl didn't look good. Her formerly shoulder-length brown hair was gone and she had dark shadows under her eyes. Her breath rattled and she had an oxygen tube in her nose for support. She was also very pale, and when she reached out for Enid with her hand, it shook visibly.

Enid hurried to take Kayla's hand in hers, and then pulled up a nearby chair so that she could sit. She nodded to Mr. and Mrs. Trower.

"Hey, strong girl." Enid gave Kayla her best smile. "I heard you wanted to see me?"

"Yes..." She coughed slightly and grimaced. "They gave me something so that I could stay awake and also something against the pain. Mummy says the pain will be over soon. So I wanted to say goodbye to you, Ms. Enid."

"I'm so happy that I could see you again, my Kayla." Enid gently kissed the girl's hand. "Do you know what's happening to you?"

The little one nodded slightly. "Yes… the black inside of me spread, even poisoned my head. But I stayed strong and it couldn't reach my thoughts. Not much longer and I can finally travel to the many countries my Daddy has already seen and told me about."

Enid first looked questioningly at Kayla's father and then the girl. "That is wonderful, Kayla. Where would you like to travel?"

"Africa," she answered the question with an enthusiasm that brought tears to Enid's eyes.

"Don't cry, Ms. Enid. Mummy and Daddy have promised to travel to Africa too when my body falls asleep. And my soul will just fly after them, so I can find the way."

Even if she didn't want to, her tears ran down her cheeks, unchecked, and Enid also heard Kayla's parents sobbing quietly.

Kayla had another coughing fit and bent to the side. Her mother stroked her back reassuringly and bit her lip. For Enid it was clear that they were holding themselves together for their daughter, even though they obviously wanted to shout out their grief.

"It hurts, Mummy... Daddy..." Kayla mumbled weakly and kept coughing.

"We're here, sweetheart. We're here… Mummy and I are here..." Mr. Trower tried to calm his daughter and stroked her arm as his wife caressed her daughter's forehead again and again.

Finally, the coughing ceased, but Kayla's breath became shallow and her eyelids grew heavier.

Enid also ran her thumb over the back of Kayla's hand and felt strange. She felt the girl weaken. She not only saw it, she felt it deep inside of her as if she had a connection with the girl. With some effort, she repressed the feeling and tried to cheer Kayla up.

"Can you hear me, Kayla? Do you remember that you once asked me if there are any witches out there because vampires actually exist?"

Barely noticeable, the girl nodded and Enid continued quickly, "Unfortunately, I haven't found a witch yet, but an old spell that I would like to sing to you. It's the first of two incantations called _Merseburger Zaubersprüche_. They're not from Africa but Europe, but I think that its magic will accompany you on your journey nevertheless."

The little one had become so weak in the last few minutes that she could only look at Enid gratefully. Quickly, Enid looked at Kayla's parents and when they nodded, she first began to hum. While she still held Kayla's hand and stroked her pale and cold skin, Enid slowly and devoutly began to sing the old words a few moments later.

Eiris sâzun idisi, sâzun hêra duoder.  
Suma haft heftidun,  
suma heri lêzidun, suma clûbodun umbi cuniowidi:  
insprinc haftbandun, infar wîgandun.

She let her voice glide gently up and down as she watched Kayla smile after a last look at her parents. Meanwhile, the strange feeling in Enid shifted abruptly into a pull that sent a shiver down her spine. The little girl closed her eyes then and the pull in Enid's chest became unbearable. She felt hot and cold at the same time, and she thought she was going to panic at any moment. But even that feeling was pulled out of her.

When Kayla breathed one last breath, Enid clearly sensed that it was her life force that was poured out of her. Just before she thought she was about to pass out, all power had left Kayla's hand and it fell onto the bed. Immediately, the unbearable pulling disappeared, and Enid let out a heartfelt sob.

Kayla's parents were bent over their daughter and cried unrestrainedly. Enid wanted to cry too, but she had no more tears. She felt cold, so terribly cold. She was barely able to think, and only subconsciously saw how more people came into the room after some time. Some were trying to talk to her too, but it was as if Enid could only hear them through a thickly padded wall. She frowned and shook her head to regain clarity in her head. But it didn't help.

At some point she saw Kayla's parents in front of her; they seemed to thank her for coming, if she interpreted the grateful-sad looks correctly. Enid gave a nod and then got up to leave the hospital. At least she hoped she got up, because she could hardly feel her legs.

  
\- x -

  
The next clear moment she had was while standing under the stars, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten to the park. What was wrong with her? How could something like this happen? What had happened? She tried to scream or cry, but neither sound nor tear escaped. She sank down on her knees at the shore of the lake, where she had had so much fun with Godric just a few weeks ago. But who was this pale creature now that the water reflected? Enid didn't even have the strength to be frightened at this sight. She looked away from her reflection, from the pale face with the dark eyes. But her surroundings didn't look any better. Everything was shady gray in this bright full moon night and all contours were blurry. Frankly, she felt more dead than alive. Even the grass beneath her feet felt dull when she walked over it.

Then, suddenly, a man in dark clothes stood next to her and she looked at him with wide eyes. Where had he come from? Was she really so out of her wits so that she didn't notice anything anymore? How could that have happened? Without question, she was saddened by Kayla's death. She already missed the little girl who had been so lively most of the time. Or at least she would miss her if she could feel anything. What happened that her entire being deadened to the point of feeling absolutely nothing anymore?

The guy seemed to have addressed her without her taking notice of it because now he shook her lightly on the shoulder and looked at her questioningly. Enid frowned and looked back up into his eyes.

"You okay, girl? Man, you look really sick."

He leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear. For Enid it sounded like she was standing in a huge chapel, echoes of his words pounding on her from all sides.

"I've just the best stuff for you, girl. Better stuff than alcohol. You wanna see? That'll make you feel a lot livelier in minutes. What you say?"

Livelier? That sounded good to Enid. She nodded and wanted to ask what it would cost. But he continued before she could speak.

"How much money you have, girl?"

With some effort, she pulled two bills from her pocket without looking and held them out to him. She had no idea how much money she was giving to that dealer in the middle of the night, but he didn't seem to be satisfied.

"That's all, girl? I can only give you the smallest dose for that. Sure you don't have any more money?"

Enid simply closed her eyes and powerlessly waved with the bills.

The dealer mumbled something incomprehensible, pocketed her money, and took out a vial of red liquid. He glanced around quickly, but then he just took her hand and told her to hold out her forefinger. When he unscrewed the ceiling of the vial, Enid saw that there was a pipette attached to it. He dropped a single blob of the red liquid on her finger, and Enid had the vague feeling that she knew exactly what that liquid was.

When the dealer walked away, she hesitated for a few seconds, and then licked away the blood. For ten, twenty seconds nothing happened, and then everything exploded.

________________________________________  
The first of the two old High German Merseburg Incantations:

Once the Idisi [women] sat, sat here and there.  
Some fastened bonds, some impeded the army,  
some untied fetters:  
Escape from the bonds, flee from the enemy.


	9. Chapter 9

**~ Repercussions ~**

  
She lay on the ground, her arms and legs spread eagle. Never before had she thought that grass could do anything but tickle, yet right now its gentle swaying in the wind felt like a mother's soothing caress on her skin. Then something strange happened. An irresistible bolt of hot energy shot through her arteries, but rather than invigorating her, it paralyzed her. Yet it felt good. Unable to move, she was forced to just feel – not just the grass, but everything around her. Her senses heightened, allowing her to see much farther, hear much clearer, feel with more intensity. She felt reborn, felt like she had become a part of life itself rather than just living it. A smile formed on her face, and looking up, she admired the millions of stars in the night sky above. It was breathtaking. Nature was beautiful.

She laughed, feeling liberated.

When the energy had spread evenly throughout her every cell, leaving the sensation of being able to control anything with her willpower alone, she could suddenly move again. She turned onto her stomach. Her eyes slid to the lake, and she waved an arm in its direction. Yes! She pushed her mind forward, and suddenly, felt the water move though no wind was going. What great satisfaction! It was as if she had gotten her own aura through this one drop of vampire blood with which she could feel everything around her and make it her own. She felt like a goddess, and when she got up, she laughed and danced in circles. Without thinking, she stretched out this newly acquired aura towards the interesting glowing lights outside the park. She wanted to see what she could do with them.

But suddenly, she staggered backwards. Her aura had touched a bright spot that was extremely loud and burned her from the inside. It hurt! To protect herself, she tried retracting her aura but found she had lost control over it. It just kept spreading and brushed more and more of those loud, bright dots, bringing pain that swelled to unbearable levels. The more poured into her, the faster her joy changed into fear and panic. Her body curled up while seeing pictures of strangers and their feelings just screamed at her and got burned right into her brain. The voices and sounds grew louder and wilder and she desperately covered her ears. But it was all in her mind and she couldn't hide from it.

Screaming in agony, she sank fully to her knees and wished she could have back the silence she had had a few minutes ago. Her breathing got harder, and with some effort, she checked her purse to see how much money she had left. Then she gathered all that was left of her strength and braced herself against the depressing noise of the city. Stoically putting one foot in front of the other, she left the park.

  
________________________________________

  
"Well, look at who's walking into my night... You don't look good, girl," he greeted her.

"Leave me alone, Stan. I'm in no mood for your lame games now," Enid whispered, then took another sip of her vodka.

Seeing the many empty glasses in front of her, he figured she had been sitting in this bar for a while. Unimpressed, Stan took a seat next to her. "Honestly, girl, how much did you drink from that stuff? You stink like a distillery." He grimaced in disgust, but then leaned over and sniffed at her. There was something else in that mix of alcohol and expensive perfume he knew Isabel had given the girl as a birthday present. It wasn't easy to notice, especially since Stan was distracted by the girl's uncommon hair. But when Enid looked at him angrily and tried to push him away, he suddenly smelled it quite clearly. He grunted, grasped her wrist and pulled her close to him before she could even react.

"You took V? Oh girl, stupid decision. _Very_ stupid decision."

Without paying any attention to her protest, he threw Enid over his shoulder while calmly laying a few bills on the counter. With a grateful nod to the bartender, who had informed the sheriff's nest about the girl's condition, he left. Enid tried to hit him on his back, but the change of position quickly made her really sick. When Stan made his way to the nest with vampire speed, she just tried to stick to Stan's cowboy shirt. It only took a few minutes for them to get there, but when he put Enid on her feet in front of the mansion, she bent over quickly and violently threw up. Stan rolled his eyes in annoyance, then grabbed her arm and pulled her into the mansion. There, Isabel became immediately aware of the two.

"What is the meaning of this, Stan? Let her go!" she demanded.

"I'd rather not. Your little ward here has consumed V. Where's the sheriff?"

If it had been possible, Isabel would have turned pale. Horrified, she sniffed Enid's hair, neck and hands and then took her chin in her hand, forcing the young woman to look at her. "Why, Enid? Why, where and from whom did you get vampire blood?"

"The sheriff can get that out of her. Where is he?"

"The king called him away from the karaoke event and he will just be back before dawn I assume." Isabel looked at Enid from top to bottom. "She should take a shower and rest; otherwise she won't be able to give us many useful answers in this condition." Without paying attention to Stan, Isabel pulled out her cell phone and called Hugo to bring Enid clean clothes as quickly as possible. Then she took the young woman away.

Arms folded, Stan looked at Isabel as she led the girl to one of the bathrooms. He could hear how Isabel turned the water on after a little while, but otherwise both women were silent. With a grin, he imagined Enid standing naked in the shower; he was still mad at his sheriff for having made it clear right from the beginning, when Enid first came to the nest, that she was untouchable in any way – unless she gave her clear consent.

While he waited for the sheriff, he made himself comfortable on the couch. After a few minutes, Hugo stormed in with a bag over his arm and Stan waved him in the direction of the bathroom without saying a word. He didn't understand what Isabel found in this man. This Hugo didn't even have an ounce of his charm, but apparently, she just stood on such bland types. Enid, on the other hand... Stan wouldn't shove her from the edge of his bed. Maybe he would try to snack on her a bit later. Hardly any woman resisted his charm for a long time.

When Isabel returned a few minutes later, Enid and Hugo following her, she shooed him off the couch and ordered Enid to sit and remain there. Looking at the girl's face, Stan postponed his plans indefinitely. Despite the shower, the girl looked completely smashed and Stan was definitely not into half-dead women. Hugo and Isabel then began to argue about the girl; rolling his eyes in annoyance, Stan stood and took position between the couch and the front door. Not that he thought Enid would manage to slip away unnoticed in her current condition, but he was rather safe than sorry.

Thankfully, Michael came by and kept him company while he stood sentry. At one point, the girl fell asleep, allowing Stan to focus completely on Michael. He was one of the best trackers in the area and even liked to use his skills to hunt delicious humans when he wanted to have a snack. Michael liked both women and men, and just when he was about to tell of a pair of siblings as his latest conquest, Godric finally returned.

  
________________________________________

  
He was displeased. Two calls had ruined the great evening he wanted to spend with Enid. When she was gone, he had wanted to fly after her, but his king had thwarted him. Instead of giving him the new documents in the usual way, he had ordered Godric to himself. For a second he regretted not wearing the crown himself and handing out tasks, but then he recalled why he had sworn long ago never to take any office that held more responsibility than a sheriff's post.

His brooding was interrupted by a tense mood in his nest, and with a quick glance, he surveyed everything and everyone present in the room, including a sleeping Enid.

When his underlings greeted him with a nod, he had to pull himself together so as not to let everyone feel his bad mood. While he brought the documents to his office, he ordered Isabel to follow him.

"What is going on here?"

Unexpectedly, Isabel avoided his gaze and seemed to be thinking about her answer. He had no patience for that now. Godric closed his eyes in annoyance and also called Stan into his office.

"Same question for you; what is going on? Speak."

Stan showed his usual grin. "Well, Sheriff, a while ago, a call from The Lagoon came in that the girl you danced with the other day was sitting at the bar, in a desolate state. I thought I'd check it out, and lo and behold, the little girl had actually taken V. Of course I brought her here immediately so she can get her just punishment."

 _'Can this night get any worse?'_ Godric thought grimly and sighed inwardly. Judging from Isabel's miserable look, Stan seemed to be telling the truth. But he would investigate that himself. Without another word to the two, he left his office and walked over to the couch where Enid was still asleep. He sniffed at her discreetly – Stan was right. He could clearly smell the violated blood of another vampire in her. This was really the craziest night in a long time. Without much thought, he grabbed Enid's arms and gently shook her to wake her up.

It did not take long before she opened her eyes. When she recognized him with still dazed eyes, he also saw shame in them. Unable to hold his gaze, she wanted to lower her eyes. But he immediately pushed some of his power directly into her to keep her eyes on his and at once her face took on a calm expression.

"Little one, Stan brought you here with the accusation of having taken V. Is that correct?"

"Yes." It was just a barely audible murmur, but all the vampires in the room could easily hear it.

"Tell me who you got it from," he demanded to know.

"A guy in the park, at o- the lake. I've never seen him or paid any attention to him before. He talked to me... said he had something that alcohol couldn't give me."

Godric waited for her to say more, but when she didn't, he asked more closely, "What exactly did the man look like?"

"As big as Stan, three-day beard, dark jacket and pants, didn't look like a homeless or a businessman, just like a normal guy from next door."

He saw out of the corner of his eyes that Michael disappeared with vampire speed. Godric could count on his underling to search for the V-dealer even without needing to issue an order. At the moment he only wanted – and needed – to concentrate on Enid whose eyes were so sad. She did not seem stunned by alcohol but by a pain that went much deeper and had only recently been inflicted on her. Godric wondered what had happened after she had received the phone call in the bar. He had come to know her as a happy and always confident person and could not imagine why she would ever use drugs.

"How many times have you taken V already?"

"Only this one time."

"Why did you take it?" he continued his questioning.

"I wanted to feel..." she whispered.

"Explain."

A long silence spread around Enid, causing Godric to frown after a few minutes. After having slightly glamoured her, she had so far answered all his inquiries without hesitation. He was not accustomed to people disobeying his commands, yet Enid somehow managed to circumvent his power of interrogation and stoically kept silent. He looked at her questioningly, but although she did speak again, it was not the answer he had been looking to hear.

"Please don't make me explain," she begged.

Maybe the explanation was buried too deep inside her and he needed to reinforce his gentle glamour. At that moment, the woman's uncle interfered.

"Enid, tell us why you took it," he urged her. "Taking V is not only a serious offense, it causes many problems! Apart from the alcohol, when you become addicted, you cannot work with your children anymore."

That seemed to have hit a nerve, resulting in destroying her inner wall of resistance. All at once she could not hold back the tears. A heart-wrenching sob escaped her and she could hardly sit upright any longer, her body shook that much.

"Tell us, little one," Godric said softly, placing his hands on her knees in a reassuring gesture.

"Kayla is dead," she sobbed. Godric did not know who that person was Enid spoke about but he heard both his second and her human gasp in shock. He would ask Isabel later about the relationship between Enid and this Kayla.

For a long time, Enid said nothing, but her tears would be unstoppable for a while, now that they had fought their way to the surface.

"The cancer had already metastasized in her brain and she had just been treated too late. Her mind had been clear in her last minutes and her parents could say goodbye to her, as could I. But since then, I felt as if something of me had died with her and I couldn't... I couldn't..."

She pressed her fists against her chest and Godric assumed that she was trying to minimize her grief.

"I couldn't breathe properly and everything, _everything_ hurt! My skin felt like it's on fire, and I felt stunned and electrified at the same time..." Her voice had quieted to a whisper, and with a tortured expression, she continued to explain.

"At the same time, everything felt dreary and I wanted... I had to feel again, to be able to do something. So I took the V."

Godric could feel how some of the tension left her body after she had talked her pain off her soul.

"Thank you, Enid, for having confided in us. Sleep now, little one." Obediently, Enid closed her eyes with a relieved sigh and Godric knew she was asleep because of her pulse steadied and breathing calmed.

He turned to Isabel and Hugo. "Take her home. We are done for today."

"But, Sir!" Stan protested vehemently. "Her gruesome story is nice and good, yet she broke the law and must be punished!"

"And she will be punished. But not tonight."

Godric got up and looked at his third in command. "What use is the learning effect of a punishment if the mind is not receptive?" He turned back to Isabel. "If your ward feels better tomorrow, you will bring her here."

"Yes, Sheriff."

He watched as Hugo carefully picked Enid up and carried her out into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

**~ The punishment ~**

  
Enid woke up in her own bed the next day. Instead of getting up, though, she just stared at the ceiling for a long time. She could hear someone rummaging in the kitchen and assumed it was her uncle. After what felt like eternity, she turned her attention inward to assess her body, afraid to have ended up with the worst hang over ever after all the alcohol she imbibed last night after taking that drop of V. But she surprisingly felt very much alive. At least physically. Her heart still felt numb, but at least the leaden weight of the grief was gone. Enid sat up and tried to think, but it was hard. She had liked the little girl, and Enid couldn't get over the sheer unfairness of her premature death.

She first noticed that she was crying again when she looked up at the sound of her door, only vaguely seeing Samantha and Meredith enter.

"Oh Enid..." Meredith put a steaming cup of tea on the bedside table and dropped to the left side of her friend's bed. As the two hugged, she felt Samantha sit down on her right side.

"Your uncle called us and told us what happened... how can we help you?" Sam sympathetically asked her.

Enid managed a small smile. "It would be nice if we could just stay in bed for a while longer."

Sam hugged her now too, and then the three sat down on the pillows and talked quietly for what seemed like hours. They talked about Kayla, the other kids and how they would tell them and their parents. Talking about it with her friends made Enid feel like she had regained some of her vigor and could now face the grief. Everything was better than being trapped in it.

Her tea had gotten cold a while ago, but she drank it anyway. Afterward, she even got out of bed to take a shower. Beforehand, they had decided to make a salad, and Samantha and Meredith had already started when Enid eventually arrived in the kitchen.

"Both of you… thank you." Enid could think clearer now. She still felt incredibly sad, but she could muster a smile for her friends.

"What else are friends for?" Meredith teased, handing her a knife. "But if you want something from the salad, you should start helping."

Samantha threw her a bell pepper. "Please only the reds. You know, we cannot stand the yellow ones..."

"Okay," Enid whispered and set to work.

  
\- x -

  
They stayed with Enid until the light of day started to vanish. But Enid knew that as soon as the sun went down, Isabel would bring her to the nest. She had taken V – she could only shake her head now at her own stupidity.

"Guys, I have something else to tell you." She looked at them both and sighed. "I really screwed up last night."

"What do you mean?" Her friends cast a questioning look at her.

"You're going to think I'm crazy, but yesterday I picked up V from a dealer in the park." She waited for the reactions with an unmoved face. Samantha looked slightly shocked, but Meredith only raised her eyebrows in question.

"Listen, I know that's bad. You're not just my friends, but also my workmates, that's why I tell you. You know my uncle's girlfriend is a vampire, and she's going to bring me to her sheriff later so that he can punish me. After all, it's an offense taking V. But I also want _you_ to know." She looked out of the window at the red and golden sky. "Yesterday, I wasn't aware of the consequences, but now I am. You should know that I have no intention of taking that stuff again, but I could understand it if you no longer want me to work with you and the kids now."

"Did you take the stuff to numb the grief?" Samantha asked her quietly.

"No, Sam, I was stunned and so caught up in the sorrow that I couldn't even cry after I left the hospital. I knew that wasn't good... I took it to be able to feel again. It was the black and cold emptiness inside of me that scared me so much. When I took it, I could feel again. But I naively assumed that it would be good feelings, as addicts sometimes describe such a trip. And at first it was great. But after a short time it felt like... like the whole world was crashing onto me and I couldn't only sense my own feelings, but also those of all the people around me in the whole city and beyond. It was so intense and sudden that I felt like being pulled down by a vortex. I didn't know how to help myself other than to stun that huge emotional chaos with alcohol again. And that was when one of the vampires found me." She sighed again and looked at her two friends, waiting for what had to come.

Meredith was the first one who spoke. "Well, of course it's not nice that you took the stuff, Enid. But we know now why, and I, for my part, understand. Regarding work… maybe it would be good if you take off a week or two? I can take care of your four other children while you're absent."

That had been clear to Enid, but her heart still contracted painfully.

"Mer is right. Enid... What exactly is the penalty for V-consuming? Will you be handed over to the police? I mean, after all, you're human and must report to our authorities."

Enid smiled weakly. "I don't think they'll hand me over to the police. Isabel once told me that every sheriff of an area can impose their own punishments. Although they are required to investigate all crimes, they don't have a ready punishment catalog. Each sheriff decides on the penalty case by case."

With her knowledge, she could already imagine what she had to expect, but Enid didn't want to disturb her two friends. She had screwed up and would endure it alone.

Thereupon all three fell silent, each engrossed in their own thoughts. They thus didn't notice the woman standing by the kitchen door. Only when she cleared her throat – softly, to not frighten the young women – did the three look up.

Enid nodded in greeting. "Isabel."

"It's time, Enid. Come. Ms. Jones, Ms. Blum, thank you for keeping Enid company today but it would be the best if you went home now."

The three of them quickly discussed that Enid whould definitely take a week off, and then said goodbye to each other. Enid promised to give them a call and brought them to their cars. She watched them drive away until she felt Isabel standing behind her.

"I'm sorry, Isabel. I know you're disappointed in me..."

But to her surprise, Isabel hugged her tightly from behind and began to gently rock her like a child. "I know, my dear Enid. I heard your conversation. I was in the basement during the day..."

"Where is my uncle? Is he very angry?"

"No. He had to make an important client appointment because of this new issue. He asked me to watch over you and will call you later." Isabel released the embrace but held Enid by the shoulders and turned her around. "Come now, my Enid, and don't worry. Our sheriff is always fair in his punishments."

Enid looked at the woman that had been like a mother to her since they met. There was nothing but sincerity in Isabel's eyes. She inhaled the pleasant evening air, nodded, and then got into the car.

  
________________________________________

  
Since he woke up that evening, he was restless. Because of his age, he was able to wake up earlier than the others. Normally he used the time for paperwork, but today he was not in the right mood for it. He looked at the clock in his office every few minutes. He really did not need that because every vampire automatically knew when the sun was rising and setting. But he was nervous for some unknown reason, and as long as he was still alone in his nest, he did not feel like hiding it. Lately he thought less and less like a vampire, and today, he had to punish someone again. He did not like that – at all.

In his area, only few feed-related accidents happened and the vampires knew how to behave most of the time. Furthermore, barely any attacks on vampires took place, thanks to his close cooperation with the local police. But in this case, his hard work, reputation and power over the area did not help him. The dealer had taken the blood from another district and sold it to the young woman in a weak moment of her. Bad luck! He wished he did not have to punish her for her short-term insanity, but he would not shirk his responsibility. For Enid's sake, he had to do it; otherwise, she would not be safe from Stan and vampires like him.

Godric sat down behind his desk, but he still could not find a muse to deal with the paperwork. He just stared straight ahead and went soon into downtime. Only subconsciously did he realize that life slowly went into the nest again, and soon after, he also took in her scent as she came in with Isabel by the front door.

When he got up, there was not a single emotion on his face that could betray him; he left his office as a sheriff to receive his second in command and her ward. Stan and the others had already gathered and were staring at the young woman. He almost did not trust his eyes. Had he not known better, he would have thought her a vampire at that moment, for she was holding herself upright and standing completely still like Isabel without a trace of fear. Then she looked in his direction, but she kept her eyes respectfully lowered. Her hair fell open over her shoulders and she wore a simple green tank top that left her neck and arms uncovered. Godric nodded to Isabel and then turned to Enid, who was so brave and upright in front of all the present and partly aggressive looking vampires. Isabel also turned to her and looked at her encouragingly. Suddenly, she let her gaze wander over the other vampires until her eyes finally landed on Godric again.

"Sheriff Godric..." She faltered, gathered herself briefly and then continued in a firm voice, "I sincerely apologize for my offense against the vampire whose blood I have taken and also against your law. I accept my punishment. Proceed with me as you please."

He was impressed to say the least. He would testify that Isabel had not put these words into her mouth but that they were her own. The acceptance of her coming punishment almost flowed around her like an aura, and if he had been alone, he would have given her a confident smile. He quickly made a decision. Because of her inner strength, he would not punish her in front of all his underlings as it was normally handled in such a case.

"On behalf of the vampire authority I accept your apology, Enid Griffith. About your offense will not be spoken after this day." Godric half-turned and hold out his arm in the direction of his office. "Come."

She obediently passed him and entered his office. Ignoring the growls of Stan and a few others he followed her and closed the door. After guiding her to the center of the room, he looked her in the eyes. She was a little smaller than him, but he did not have to lift her head; she sought eye contact too. He had no intention of glamouring her, but he was attracted to her eyes. Whoever had said that the eyes were the mirror to the soul – in that moment, Godric knew that person had been right. He could not only see her unconditional acceptance of this situation, but also the sorrow on her soul that had brought her here. He wondered how magnanimous someone could be to feel so much grief over the death of one person. She was a mystery to him and he hoped that she would not hate him after that day. He _really_ hoped so.

"I understand that Isabel told you the common punishment for consuming vampire blood."

"Yes, Sheriff."

He nodded and looked at her sincerely, but with a serious face. "Kneel down, Enid Griffith." She looked at him with questioning eyes but did not respond to his command.

"If a vampire's blood is stolen, he or she is bound and bled by silver, forced to submit to the drainers. So kneel down and submit as penance too. Now."

His voice was gentle, but he let her hear his steel-hard undertone in it.

Obediently, she went down on her knees, but kept herself upright otherwise. After a few moments Godric also lowered himself onto one knee in front of her and rested his right arm on his bend thigh. Almost gently, he cupped her chin with his left hand and tilted her head back and to the side, leaving her throat exposed. He could hear Enid's heart beating faster and smelled both her adrenaline and fear. Slowly, he approached her throat to find his favorite spot, and because she shivered, he knew that she had heard his fangs coming out with an unmistakably sound.

"Drinking from a human can be very pleasing. I apologize that this has to be done as a punishment."

Without preparing her, he thrust his fangs into her delicate skin. He knew that it was painful for her; he did not have to hear her whimpering to realize that. But when her delicious blood ran down his throat, he had to stifle a moan. For years he had not drunk directly from a vein and he had forgotten how stimulating and satisfying this feeling was.

Because he was so proud of Enid for keeping up so bravely, the more he drank of her, the more he toyed with the idea of giving her a little pleasure too. Would she like it if he paused to let her blood flow down a little? Of course, only up to the fabric of her top and then he would lick it up to the nape of her neck again... He would like it. His lips twisted into a smirk while thinking about his son who had often called him a messy eater.

But suddenly he felt a tension rapidly rising in Enid's body. He smelled her salty tears while her whimpering turned first into a short and then a sustained scream. At the same time she tried to fight his tight embrace. But he was not done with her yet and simply pressed her head against his shoulder to stifle her scream.

Her fight woke the beast in him again and he found her reluctance arousing. But for that he immediately hated himself and began to stroke her back with the intention of calming her. After just a few more mouthfuls, he released her neck, and while licking his bite marks to stop the bleeding, Godric continued to stroke her arms and back reassuringly and then mumbled soft words into her ear.

"Hush, little one, breathe."

He then sat cross-legged on the floor and lifted her effortlessly into his lap. She tried to make herself as small as possible, but he raised her chin with his hand so he could look into her eyes. Her pupils were unfocused and he frowned. She did not seem to see him and to just look through him. He let out a deep growl and hugged her tightly. He had once read in a magazine that many women reacted well to being held when stressed. But Enid did not react at all; she seemed to have fallen into a catatonic state. He kissed her cheeks dry and rocked her slowly back and forth.

When Isabel wanted to open the door to his office, he at once rapidly solidified his aura and pushed it toward the intruder to keep her outside. He did not want to do anything at the moment but hold her. He had to hold her, could not leave her alone in this state. Godric had no idea what had caused her panic attack. Yes, he had smelled her fear, but she had otherwise seemed calm before he started to drink her blood.

No other underling tried to disturb him again, and so he continued to give Enid comfort. He even did something he had not done for many centuries. Leaning her head gently against his shoulder, he began to sing to her songs from his childhood which had long since been forgotten by the rest of the world…


	11. Chapter 11

**~ Something is shifting ~**

  
When Isabel had told her what to expect as punishment, Enid hadn't initially been too concerned. After all, donors were bitten every day, right? But what was happening right now wasn't what she would ever have imagined in even a nightmare…

"Drinking from a human can be very pleasing. I apologize that this has to be done as a punishment."

She had no time for a response, because in that moment, he buried his fangs in her neck. She gasped; it was painful. _Very_ painful. She whimpered and closed her eyes while he drank her blood, which, surprisingly, she perceived only as a slight tugging. It was just a strange sensation.

But then it started. Enid suddenly felt like he sucked her life force out of her with her blood and at once had a déjà vu. She was back at Kayla's hospital bed, felt her strength being carried away. One more time, she saw the little child's eyes in front of her before they closed forever.

Abruptly, Enid was having a violent panic attack. She didn't want to die! Screaming, she tried to fight Godric, but he was too strong and held her close effortlessly. Her breathing accelerated more and more, yet she simultaneously seemed to slip further and further out of the room. Her field of vision narrowed and then a veil passed over her consciousness.

…

She didn't know where she was. But everything was gray and calm there. She was weightless and seemed to float in the room. What had happened? She could vaguely remember a feeling that something wanted to pull her into a dark abyss. She wanted to remember exactly, but everything in her seemed to resist it. It felt like she was a unstable mass that wanted to be put together in a new form. Then, somewhere deep inside her, it got warm and the sensation spread quickly. Before she knew it, the weightless feeling was replaced with a solid shell. Was that her skin? What was she? She couldn't remember, and why should she? It was quiet and peaceful here and she didn't want to leave. She let her mind slide away again, enjoying the warmth that spread further and further into her every cell. Her skin started to tingle. But then it got slightly uncomfortable and she let out a whimper. The heat tugged at her, but her body didn't seem ready to be something else. Then she heard it. A soft singing, words she couldn't understand but which caused something inside her to respond. It was a beautiful tune and she tried to hum along. Could she hum? She would have to have a body for it and... Something inside her snapped and her surrounding was no longer gray but firm and soft and it held her with gentle movements. Where was she? Who was she? Ah yes, her name was Enid...

The moment she thought her name, everything else came back. The warm blanket of power that surrounded her shifted and she could move again.

Her vision cleared like opening her eyes and she whimpered at the temperature differences – inside her it was so hot and all around her so much colder. At least where Godric didn't touch her. But his touch made it somehow worse; her skin was just so sensitive that goose bumps spread on it everywhere and she tried to break away from his embrace. She pushed against his chest, but when he didn't move, the memory of him sinking his fangs into her neck came back. And with the memory came the fear.

She squinted her eyes in pain. "Please..." she begged and he released his embrace a little bit.

"Your punishment is over, little one. Do not be afraid. Please, look at me."

Enid wanted to get away, wanted to just crawl under her blanket and sleep through two days. But the sheriff's voice suddenly had such a deep bitter undertone, she had never heard before. Wondering about it, she looked up and saw a dark sadness in his eyes. Even the warm blanket of his power that she felt became heavy with darkness, and for a long moment the two just stared at each other and were silent.

At some point she realized that she was sitting in his lap, and with a yelp, she tried to break free again and get up. Godric let her finally go and got up as well. Standing there in the middle of his office, Enid didn't know if anything else was expected of her. But he had said her punishment was over, so he would certainly allow her to leave. The slight stinging in the side of her neck made her look to the ground, ashamed, and she covered the bite marks with her hand. At least for that moment. She knew she had to wear them visibly for all the other vampires to see.

"Am I allowed to go?" Her voice didn't sound as firm as she wanted it to be. But at least she was able to suppress the tears that were trying to fight their way back to the surface. She had wanted to endure this evening with dignity but her breakdown had ruined that. At least her tears had to wait until later, when she was alone in her bed.

  
________________________________________

  
Godric could see that she was trying to hold back her tears when she asked with a shaking voice whether she was allowed to go. He knew she was at the end of her strength and wanted to grant her the request. But he had not missed the brief moment when her skin had shimmered right before life had returned into her eyes. Furthermore, he could see a spark deep inside her; a fire-red spark struggling to spread, but something held it back. So far, he had only noticed a slightly different aura with Enid than with other humans and had assumed that some day in the past a sup must have left his mark and genes in the line of her ancestors. But the longer he looked at Enid now, the more her aura shifted around her. He sniffed at her inconspicuously and, as he had suspected, her scent had changed as well. Something happened to her that he could not place, and he did not like that. They had to talk about it. But in her exhausted state, she would hardly be ready to talk. Nevertheless, he wanted to try and looked at her fondly.

"Enid-" Godric began carefully and wanted to stroke her arm reassuringly, but she stiffened immediately. Deeply disappointed, he let his arm sink again and called for Isabel with a sigh when she became paler than his wall. In less than two seconds his office door opened and his second came in.

"Bring Ms. Griffith home. Her guilt is atoned," he ordered her with his emotionless sheriff-voice.

Without waiting for Isabel's confirmation, he turned around and dropped into his chair, putting his forehead onto his clasped hands. He felt exhausted and somehow empty. There were still many hours to go until sunrise and he wondered how he should get over them. Out of the corner of his eye he saw how Isabel hugged the other woman. At that sight he felt a faint jab of jealousy – she allowed Isabel's touch but not his?

He slightly shook his head to clear it; he had to pull himself together. This young woman had a secret, and for the sake of his area, he had to solve it. He thought about it for a few seconds but found his thoughts spinning around the fact that he already missed her carefree manner. The sadness in her had only existed for one day and yet it bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Moreover, after this day, there was another being in this world that feared him. He did not look up when Isabel escorted Enid out; he did not want to see Enid's terrified eyes again. He had never loathed being a vampire as much as he did right then and there.

  
\- x -

  
A while later he could no longer bear it. First, Stan had complained to him about his proceeding with Enid, and then even more documents to work on had come in. He could hide his agitation from the others, but his son had felt it in their bond and sent him his concerns. He knew that it was not fair to Eric, but he did not want to talk to anyone right now and so he closed their bond tightly, ignoring the upcoming calls from his progeny.

When Isabel came back a little while later, he stood at the floor-to-ceiling window leading out to the adjoining garden. His hands were crossed behind his back and he stood absolutely still like a statue. She approached him but kept a respectful distance.

"She is at home I assume?" Godric asked her in an emotionless voice.

"Yes, Godric. Actually, I intended to stay with her because Hugo is not back yet, but she said she wanted to be alone." When Godric nodded, Isabel continued, "What happened, Godric? She was in a similar state last night and-"

"Did you notice anything strange about her, Isabel?" he interrupted her. "You spend a lot of time with her. Have you ever noticed that her scent has changed or her skin has shimmered?"

Isabel thought about it for a few seconds before resolutely answering, "No. A few months ago, Enid jokingly said that it would be cool to be a were and see the world with animal senses, but she always had nothing else but a human scent."

He nodded again and made a decision. "I need you to handle the new documents. You will be directly in charge of everything for the next few days while I am patrolling the area. And if the king calls, you will also handle the business."

"Yes, Sheriff."

"For the rest of this night you are in charge too. And Isabel, I do not want to be disturbed, especially not by Stan," he told his second, went out into the garden, and then immediately rose into the air.

It did not take him long to arrive at his destination. It had been ages since he had gone on patrol himself. But as he quietly sat like a cat on a branch of the tree that stood behind the house, it seemed to him as if it had only been yesterday. He crouched down and with one hand propping himself against the tree trunk, he peered into Enid's dark room. After Isabel's words, he had assumed that she would lie in bed and sleep, but instead she sat on her windowsill. Her head was leaning against the side of the glass and her knees were raised. Her cell phone lay in her lap and she had apparently activated the speaker. He had just arrived in the middle of a conversation.

 _"... shall we come to you?"_ asked an unknown male voice.

Enid stared out of the window with a sad expression. "No, it's okay."

_"Nonsense, we'll come to see you."_

"Daaaad, you're in Siberia right now. You don't have to interrupt your holiday because of me, and besides, you have an appointment in India next week. So do me the favor and don't come. I..." She sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. "I actually wanted to ask if you could tell me something about my adoption."

For a long moment, only silence came from her phone. Then Godric heard another man speaking.

_"Your adoption? What do you want to know, my girl?"_

Enid looked out of her window for quite a while, obviously considering how to ask her question.

_"Does your interest have anything to do with what's happened in the last few days, Enid? Or did someone come to you and asked questions?"_

"Yes and no... You told me that you found me in an orphanage, but did they know who my parents were? Whether I have siblings or other relatives?"

_"Enid-"_

"Hold on a second, okay? Please... I love you both, you know that. You'll always be my dads, it will not change anything at all. But... can it be that... you know as well as I know, that there aren't just humans and vampires in this world." Again she rubbed her forehead and looked tortured. "Can it be that I... I don't know... am different?"

 _"Enid, my girl, calm down. We love you too, and even if you're Bigfoot's biological daughter, it doesn't change that."_ This conjured a small smile on Enid's lips but Godric could feel her tension even from the distance.

_"Okay, seriously. What are we talking about here? Have you gotten claws or something? Unfortunately, we cannot tell you anything about your parents or family. At the orphanage we were told that they found you on the stairs one morning. You were just a few days old and the nuns there even had concerns that you would survive because you didn't want to drink anything at first."_

"Wow... I don't know what to say. I mean, what parents are giving their newborn baby away that's not even strong enough to survive on its own?"

_"Well, we cannot answer that either, but we are still happy today that they at least had so much sense to bring you to the orphanage and didn't just dump you somewhere in the wilderness where no one could have found you."_

"Yeah, lucky me... Hey, can it be that... I just remembered a feeling from when I was young... did we ever have a cat as a pet?"

Godric heard the two laugh and was glad that Enid could confide in both.

 _"We didn't, Enid, but there were two or three cats in the orphanage. Big beasts that always frightened the kids because they loved to hiss at them. But when Max and I were there and the matron had shown us around, they were hunting down the corridor and you jumped right behind them. You were four, and even though the nuns taught you well, in the presence of the cats you behaved just like one of them. The nuns used to call you their cat girl. That was probably the reason why no one had adopted you so far."_ Once again a hearty laugh was heard and her other father continued, _"And that was exactly the reason why we had taken you. It was almost crazy love at first sight. We knew that you wouldn't have any problems with our lifestyle."_

For the first time since Godric witnessed this conversation, Enid did not look tormented. She closed her eyes and smiled almost brightly.

_"My girl, even though we are thousands of miles away from you, we can feel that something lies heavy on our mind. Spit it out, come on."_

She sighed. "If there are werewolves, surely there are werecats too? What do you think? Could I be one? Wouldn't that explain why I'm so good with cats?" She bit her bottom lip. "Within a short time, I've felt twice now how something has moved inside of me, as if it shifted anatomically. And my skin was tingling, as if thousand ants would run over and under it."

Could it be? Godric had never heard of a were which second nature had manifested so lately in the person's life. Unconsciously, he leaned forward while stretching his senses towards Enid. It would not be a problem for him to examine her from this distance, but just as he was about to touch her, she flinched and looked out the window, searching. Nervously, she let her eyes wander over the nocturnal meadow in front of her window and swallowed hard. Godric slowly withdrew himself. He did not want her to be afraid, and as if sensing that he was withdrawing his senses, she relaxed a bit. But then her gaze slid to his tree and her eyes widened. He could not imagine that she could see him, but she definitely knew that she was being watched.

She slid down from the windowsill and held her hand over her cell phone microphone. Her fathers seemed to think about her questions and did not speak at the moment. Enid's next words gave him plenty to think about too.

"Please go, Godric. Just go," she whispered, knowing he would hear her words. Then she shut her curtains so that he could not look into her room anymore. Without realizing it, a deep sadness spread inside of him again and his chest ached. With a heavy heart, he rose into the air again and escaped from his observation post.


	12. Chapter 12

**~ A short break ~**

  
The last days had flown by. Enid had gotten up with the sun, went jogging and swimming and read a lot; she even went to the amusement park. But no matter what her day looked like, every time the sun went down, she went to bed too. She knew that Godric was worried about her or he wouldn't have been in her garden a few hours after she had been punished. Enid had felt his presence the following nights as well; it wasn't as palpable as that first night – he seemed to keep a greater distance – but whenever she woke up at night, she felt it. However, she didn't want to deal with vampires right now, or anyone else for that matter. She had her own worries and had to get organized first. But that was easier said than done.

Of course, she couldn't evade her uncle every day, but since he was such a workaholic, she saw him only seldomly. With whom she deliberately met were Kayla's parents. Apart from the paperwork for the day care, she wanted to know more about where Kayla had wanted to go.

That had been on Wednesday. On Friday, her original idea had become a solid plan, one she absolutely wanted to implement.

After having discussed and clarified everything necessary with her fathers, all she had to do now was talk to her two co-workers. As it was the weekend again, both Samantha and Meredith came over in the early afternoon. When she invited the two in, she realized how nervous she was. How would they react to her plan?

Meredith headed straight for her for a hug. "How are you, Enid?" When she broke away again, looking intently at her, Enid caught a hearty smile from Samantha.

"I think you look better, more determined." Samantha frowned. "But a little nervous too… Why are you nervous, Enid?"

"Getting right to the point, are you? At least come in first, please." She waved them towards the living room. While the three got seated on the couch, Enid unconsciously toyed with her long braid. "Do you want anything to drink?"

The two accepted, and after all three held a glass of lemonade, Enid took another deep breath and told her friends what she intended to do.

"Over the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about my past. You know that I had been adopted and I decided to find out more about myself. My dads told me that the orphanage has been closed a few years ago but they could remember the name of the matron during my time there and I want to try to find her. Perhaps she can remember anything from my past. And... I furthermore want to travel around the world. The last few days I've become very restless and I have to find myself again. Of course I will stay until you have found a substitute for me, but after that you will get my resignation because I want to be fair to you; I cannot tell you how long I will be gone."

That Samantha and Meredith looked shocked would have been an understatement. Enid felt bad about letting them down, but her decision was made; she really had to go through with it.

"I hope you can understand me, it's really important to me," she added quietly, her cheeks burning guiltily.

Meredith was the first to regain her speech again. "Um, well, you seem to have already thought it through?"

When Enid nodded, Meredith looked at Samantha who snorted in annoyance.

"You want to travel alone? Isn't that too dangerous? To which countries do you want to travel? Why so suddenly? Does that have anything to do with the vampires? You said that your debt was repaid; was that a lie? Are they threatening you? What exactly happened?" She had jumped up and was now pacing agitatedly back and forth.

"Sam, please calm down," Enid tried to soothe her. "No, I'm not threatened and I haven't seen a single vampire this week." That she hadn't seen Godric, but felt him, she preferred to keep quiet. "What happened there is a very personal matter that I would rather not talk about. But it has made me think about myself." She smiled at her two friends. "And don't worry; I've been always traveling with my fathers during my vacations. I've been to several countries so far and I just want to do it again."

Samantha sighed sadly and dropped back onto the couch. "I don't accept that." When both Enid and Meredith opened their mouths to say something, Samantha cut them both off.

"No, listen. I don't know how you see it, Mer, but I will _not_ accept your resignation, Enid. I don't mind if you have an unpaid sabbatical, but when you get back, you're going to push your butt right back to us and the kids! Since we got to know each other, you've always wanted to work with children and I don't feel like having to endure your grief, just because your job is gone and you can't find another one by that time. Got it?"

This time, Enid sat there like a statue and didn't know what to say. She heard Meredith giggle and looked at both incredulously.

"What?" Samantha asked innocently. "Did you think we would let you leave without reinsurance? Surely we'll need a temporary replacement, but then we can post it as a temporary job or maybe we'll enlarge again. Mer?"

Meredith nodded thoughtfully. "We could think about that, but first things first. I'll sit down tonight and write a job ad. Depending on how fast we find someone, you can go ahead with your planning, Enid."

"I don't know what I would do without you..." After this last week, Enid was still very near tears and she felt like some wanted to fight their way to the surface.

"Awwww… come here," said Samantha and hugged Enid stormily. Although Meredith didn't take part in the embrace, when Enid looked at her, her friend had a mischievous grin on her face.

"But you do know, Enid, that we expect regular detailed reports when you're out and about? Flora, fauna, whatever… and with photos, of course, which we can show to the kids; so no half-naked locals..." She winked at her and laughed.

Enid sniggered too. "I'll keep that in mind."

The three of them talked for a while longer, especially about what they had planned for the children for the coming week, since Enid would return to work. When Samantha and Meredith left, Enid felt drained, but happy. She dropped back onto the couch. Not even a minute later she had fallen asleep.

  
\- x -

  
When she awoke, she felt a soft blanket that someone had placed over her. She snuggled in it and wanted to turn around again, but quiet voices from the kitchen made her sit up. It was already dark outside and when she heard Isabel's Spanish accent, she sighed. Knowing her, Isabel had probably long since realized that Enid was awake now. So there was no point in trying to sneak away. Yawning, she rubbed her still tired eyes while she sneaked to the fridge with a murmured "Don't mind me." She loaded herself with bread, butter, cheese and a cucumber and wanted to balance it the short way to the table, when she almost dropped it all in fright. Not only were her uncle and Isabel in the kitchen, leaning against the wall opposite the fridge was Godric too.

Her heart beat automatically faster and she wondered how she could have missed him standing there. But then she realized that he must be suppressing his aura, because for the first time since she knew him, she couldn't feel his warm blanket of power.

_'Oh, but he looks as good as I remember him.'_

As soon as she thought that, she knew she sounded like a fool. It had only been a week since she had seen him and deliberately banished him from her nights herself. Well, this week felt much longer than it had really been, and as good as she had felt after talking to her two friends, now all the different feelings in her were fighting for dominance. She didn't know how long she stood there, brooding and squeezing the food. At some point Isabel came around the table and took it from her. Now Enid felt even more like an idiot and managed to murmur a general "hello" without looking up.

Isabel looked at her thoughtfully and gave her a warm smile. "How are you, Enid?"

"Um, just fine..." She gave her uncle and Godric a brief look but then shyly lowered her gaze again. "I apologize if I interrupted an important meeting. I just wanted to get something to eat; I'll hurry and eat it in the living room-"

"Nonsense," her uncle interrupted her with a firm voice.

Enid looked at him questioningly and realized that he was angry. "What does that mean? What's going on?"

"What's going on? Maybe you should tell me. I had my brother on the phone this afternoon, who left some contact details in Cape Town that you could use if you choose to go there too. Would you be so kind and tell me when you decided to throw away the life you've built up here to instead travel through the world, young lady?"

With her uncle standing there with an angry expression and crossed arms, she would have felt very queasy if she had been ten years younger. But she was a grown woman, and after the last few days, she was just groggy. Additionally, she was getting a headache. Massaging her temples, she went to the kitchen cupboard storing the medicine to get a painkiller which she quickly swallowed with a sip of water. She decided to make herself a fresh tea and started heating the water in the kettle. Then she turned to the three others in the room again and looked seriously at her uncle.

"Alright, listen please. I don't know what Max already told you, but you should know me better than to imply that I would simply go away in a moonlight flit. Because I didn't intend to! Just a few hours ago, I discussed everything with Sam and Mer, and it will probably take a few more weeks before I leave. I wanted to talk to you about it tomorrow and explain everything."

Enid barely managed to suppress a groan when her headache got worse; it felt like someone was knocking a hammer against her skull. _'Come on, pill, start working!'_

She tried to breathe away the pain and then quietly continued, "I'm sorry if you're worried about me, uncle, but I just have to do it." She took a teabag, placed her cup next to the rattling kettle and continued to stand with her back to the three of them. "Did my fathers tell you why it is so important to me?"

"No. Max said it wouldn't be up to him to tell. He also said if you want to tell me, you'd come to me." He took the few steps to his niece and put his hands on her upper arms in an encouraging gesture. "You know, hopefully, that you can always talk to me, right, Enid? No matter what it is about. I saw that you were busy with a lot of stuff this week and you had to deal with it yourself. And I apologize for my outbreak just now. But I'm really worried about you… Please, remember, if you need someone in the family to talk to, you can always count on me."

Enid didn't want to be unfair, but the tense atmosphere in the kitchen coupled with the still growing pain in her head made her flippant. "Why do I have the feeling that you already know what this is all about, mmh? After all, there's a reason why _you_ are here, am I not right, Godric?"

While Hugo sighed and shook his head, dropping onto the nearest chair, Isabel took a step closer. "Moderate your tone, young lady. Godric, like us, was very worried about you this week. Without exception we accepted that you didn't want to see any of us because you seem to be undergoing a big change right now. But I will not allow you to insult him on a whim. Is that clear?"

Enid looked at her friend with wide eyes and something shifted in her mind. She snarled at both Isabel and Godric. "On a whim? Tell me, Sheriff! Is it one of your obligations to stalk humans at night? And don't try to deny it; I know you were there, every night!"

The red veil in front of her mind lifted a little and she realized how she had just yelled at the two vampires. She paled but found no words of apology, for at that moment she noticed that her hands were shaking. She propped herself up on the countertop.

"Little one-" Godric spoke to her worriedly, but Enid didn't hear it. She heard only an increasing buzzing in her ears. Her whole body grew hot within seconds, the heat numbing her arms and legs.

"What the..." she murmured, but then her field of vision diminished. She didn't even realize that she pulled the kettle with her when she fainted.

The last she felt was severe pain on her arms – and then nothing.


	13. Chapter 13

**~ Not quite human, not quite ... ~**

  
Isabel didn't know what to make of it. For decades, nothing had ever happened that would have shaken Godric's more peaceful nature. But now it seemed to her that Death had still to be somewhere in her sheriff. When she had caught the unconscious Enid, Godric threw himself between the girl and the boiling water which sprayed from the kettle, but a few drops still found their way onto Enid's arms and burned her skin. The expression in Godric's dark eyes unmistakably reminded Isabel of his name from centuries ago; Death, the creature that made every vampire tremble with fear. When he picked Enid up and Hugo wanted to protest, she quickly motioned to her companion to be absolutely quiet and, with a respectfully bowed head, remained on her knees to await Godric's orders.

Godric's gaze, however, was focused only on Enid's motionless face. "Call Dr. Ludwig to the nest. I want her to be there at once." He didn't wait for Isabel's confirmation, but took Enid outside and flew away with her.

Only when his dark power had diminished a bit, Isabel rose with slightly shaky legs and immediately scrolled through her address list of her cell phone.

"Who is Dr. Ludwig?" Hugo wanted to know and she looked at him confidently.

"She is the best doctor Godric could order for Enid. She medicates exclusively sups or their companions and will be there fast."

A few minutes later everything was arranged and Isabel turned back to her Hugo, who by now was pacing impatiently up and down the living room. Quickly she prepared some sandwiches for Enid, and then quietly approached him. When he saw her, he picked up his car key and was about to storm out the door.

She stopped him. "Hugo, I think it is best if you stay here."

He froze and looked at her in disbelief. "What? You cannot be serious, Isa!"

Isabel looked at him affectionately and tried to calm him. "My dear, I know she is your niece and you feel responsible for her, but with Dr. Ludwig, she is in the best hands and-"

"Maybe with this doctor, yes. But what about the other vampires? Don't think that I forgot how they looked at my niece last week. And honestly? Godric just didn't look normal too before he left with her!"

Isabel sighed impatiently. "Listen, Hugo. Godric is very protective of her, and you can be sure that he has thrown everyone else out of the nest for the rest of the night by now. Please stay here. In his momentary state of mind he will undoubtedly protect Enid but won't accept anybody else near her who could even rudimentarily jeopardize his authority. And you would inevitably do that in his eyes, since you are a man and she is so important to you."

She grabbed his hands and kissed them both in turn. "I don't want anything to happen to you by mistake. You are too important to me, Hugo. You two are very important to me."

Hugo's expression softened and he shared a loving look with Isabel. "You will pay attention to her then and will immediately inform me of any change in her condition?"

"Of course. Just let me pack some clothes for her. Knowing Godric and Dr. Ludwig, both will be adamant that Enid stays at the nest until at least tomorrow evening."

When Hugo nodded, Isabel got to work.

  
________________________________________

  
She was already used to a lot of weird stuff. Stupid werewolves who have put their hind legs in bear traps to test their speed, naughty humans who mobbed her because of her size – and regretted it bitterly – the most creative death threats from dissatisfied patients who lost an eye, or another limb, but otherwise lived, and of course the most disgusting and strangest injuries you can ever imagine. But this night should be especially remembered. It was a premiere. A very interesting one, too, because her caller hadn't told her why she was needed so urgently at the nest of the most famous vampire in North America. She was curious about Godric of Gaul, known as Death. She was asked to come very quickly, and when she entered the dimly lit room, she saw the reason.

"Dr. Ludwig."

The sheriff nodded to her with an emotionless expression and she returned the greeting.

"What do we have here?"

She walked slowly to the bed on which a young woman lay. The girl was obviously unconscious, but that didn't stop her body from emitting a pulsing aura that looked almost like a shield.

"Mmm, tell me about the girl, Sheriff. Who, what and why!"

When Dr. Ludwig carefully touched the aura, she heard a knock behind her and saw out of the corner of her eye that the Gaul let in another vampire with a nod.

"Speak, Sheriff. I don't have time all night long. Somewhere two shifters had to fight and crushed their heads, which I am to mend again. Dumb idiots..."

Instead of answering immediately, Godric sat down on the other side of the bed and stroked a strand of hair from the girl's face. Dr. Ludwig noticed with interest and a raised eyebrow that he was very gentle in his touch.

"Her name is Enid Griffith and until a week ago we assumed she was human. Something happened then that changed her but I do not know what it was. We guess now that she is a were. But something is stopping the transformation. Before you were called, we witnessed the beginning of the transformation again, but it stopped and she fainted, burning her arms with boiling water."

"Well, I can see that. Don't worry, the burns I can heal without problem." She opened her patient's eyelids and checked the pupils.

Then she took the cooling bandages out of her huge doctor's case and began wrapping them carefully around Enid's forearms. Dr. Ludwig worked routinely and quickly, as usual, and noticed immediately when the girl slowly regained consciousness. Without hesitating, she picked up a syringe and drained blood from her. As she prepared her special centrifuge and filled in the blood, the vampiress came closer and watched her fascinated.

"What exactly does this device do?"

"Do you want the exact mode of action or is the abstract enough for you? Now get out of the way, vampiress. I need space here," she snapped at the Spaniard.

Isabel withdrew obediently, but continued to watch with interest what Dr. Ludwig did. When her patient groaned softly, but didn't awake fully, Dr. Ludwig continued to examine her.

"Well, her injuries are off the table. Now for the other thing; whatever the girl is, she is definitely not just a were. Do you see the aura pulsing around the girl?"

"What kind of aura?" Isabel asked surprised.

Dr. Ludwig looked at the vampiress over her glasses. "Aha, so you cannot see it. Sheriff?"

Godric nodded thoughtfully. "I have felt it for quite some time, but it became visible only a week ago too. Can it be that emotional stress has triggered her change? She is a nursery-school teacher, and a week ago, one of her children died."

He stroked Enid with tender movements over her cheek, which finally made her wake up. When the girl raised her eyelids and closed them again immediately with a face that was covered with pain, Dr. Ludwig stopped working on her centrifuge and turned back to her patient.

"Slow down, girl, your body is undergoing some serious stuff right now."

"What?" Enid mumbled, blinking a few times. Apparently, her head cleared because she looked around attentively and then turned her gaze to Dr. Ludwig. "Who are you?" The girl tilted her head slightly. "What are you?"

Dr. Ludwig grinned at her observation and felt the pulse of her patient. "Quid pro quo, girl. Tell me, how does the energy flow feel, which you have already felt several times?"

"Um... I'm not sure?" She looked shyly at Godric and he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Dr. Ludwig sighed deeply. "Girl, you can hold hands later, now _I_ need your full attention." That Godric glared at her with narrowed eyes she ignored completely.

"I'll fulfill my part of the agreement. What am I? First of all, a doctor. And second, a dwarf."

That definitely gave her Enid's full attention.

"And who I am? Dr. Ludwig."

She looked at the centrifuge, which had begun to beep. She bent over the test tube with the blood and made big eyes while Enid sat up in bed. "Well, I would advise you to remember my name, girl. As a supernatural being you will need to call me often enough. You know, I usually don't accept new patients, but you seem to be something very interesting..." Dr. Ludwig said, as she slightly waved the test tube close to her face.

"I don't quite understand. That's just... blood? What's so interesting about that?" The girl seemed to be totally confused as she stared at the test tube as well.

Dr. Ludwig shook her head, annoyed. "So ignorant, the youth of today! Girl, this centrifuge _always_ separates the mortal components of the blood from the magical. Do you see a separation here?" She held Enid the test tube in front of her nose.

"No? Well, me neither. In were-blood the magical components would always hover a little above the blood as a kind of vapor cloud. You can clearly see the magic particles in your blood, but something holds it together; strongly. That's why you cannot transform yourself into whatever your second nature is. I suppose that has something to do with this aura that pulsates around you like a beacon on ecstasy."

Enid's eyes widened. "What-?"

"Don't interrupt me, girl!" Dr. Ludwig briefly put her little finger in the test tube and then tasted the drop of blood with a concentrated expression.

Enid looked anxiously at Isabel, but since Godric had still not left her side, the Spaniard remained at the foot of the bed, giving the girl only an encouraging maternal smile. When Dr. Ludwig clicked her tongue, she had the attention of all three again.

"You still owe me an answer, girl. Does the energy in you feel like some fire?"

Enid nodded. "Yes. Sometimes like a huge fireworm digging through my guts and who's right now delightedly slowly turning my insides out. What does all this mean?"

"Congratulations, girl. Somebody didn't want you to walk around as an animal. I suspect a family member; the magic in your blood comes from a very old witch family. Names of them are not known because they have always escaped from the growing civilization and kept themselves hidden somewhere for a long time. Have you ever felt the need to use magic? Do any spells?"

While Dr. Ludwig kept an eye on Godric as she revealed her knowledge, she also saw out of the corner of her eyes, that Enid became pale. "I'm a witch, too?"

Now Isabel also joined in the conversation again with clear worry in her voice. "I sincerely hope not. As a sheriff it is Godric's duty to kill any witches strong enough to wield magic that could harm our kind."

At these words, Enid looked anxiously at Godric, but he remained rigid, his gaze on Dr. Ludwig.

"You'll have to make that out among yourself, later. I don't suppose you live with your parents, girl?"

"No. I was in an orphanage until I was four. I was laid there when I was only a few days old. As far as I know, nobody knows anything about my biological parents."

"Well, it would have been too easy to get some clear answers..." Dr. Ludwig frowned and thought about it. Such a case was truly unique to her, but when she thought of everything, it was nonetheless easy enough.

While she carefully put her equipment back in her bag, she ordered her thoughts. "Let me summarize your misery, girl: You were born with were-genes on the one hand and magic on the other. For whatever reason, your biological parents didn't want you and brought you into civilization, and to keep you from having to run in the city as an animal, they cast a spell on you. This spell is clearly interwoven with your blood – that is why it feels like fire by the way – and has successfully prevented you from transforming so far. Now the question is: what has weakened the spell so much that it has activated the transformation process?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses? Let me know what you think. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**~ Something to think about ~**

  
Not only Dr. Ludwig but also the two vampires stared at Enid and waited expectantly for an answer. She felt herself grow paler every second and wished for a hole in the floor to escape the intense gazes. Then she felt Godric's hand on her shoulder and looked at him with a queasy feeling.

"What exactly happened when Kayla Trower died, little one?" he asked her with a warm voice, and the feeling of his power, which he soothingly placed around her, calmed her immensely.

"Not much, really. However… I sang an old incantation which last line might fit as an unleashing spell?"

Godric slightly tilted his head questioningly and Dr. Ludwig also looked impatiently at her over the edge of her glasses.

"It was the first incantation of the _Merseburger Zaubersprüche_."

While the two vampires didn't seem to be acquainted with it, Dr. Ludwig face-palmed. "Oh, good heavens… How does a little girl like you get her hands on such an old and powerful spell? No wonder your blood shield got holes."

While Dr. Ludwig shook her head in disbelief, hot anger rose in Enid. She sat up jerkily and hissed at the doctor.

"If it is so powerful, it might be better to put a warning label on each source." She narrowed her eyes tightly and was pleased to see that the dwarf woman took a step backward.

"And, in general, you should work on your manners, Doctor! Not every adult woman likes to be called a little girl!" Enid growled at Dr. Ludwig until Godric calmingly turned her around to face him, looking at her in amusement.

"Oh yes?" the woman snarled back then. "And what's the difference to the vampire calling you little one?"

That took the wind out of Enid's sails and she blushed. "That... that's different..." she murmured sheepishly, then glared at Isabel who was unsuccessfully trying to stifle a laugh.

"Yeah? How so?" Dr. Ludwig demanded to know.

"What would you recommend, Dr. Ludwig?" Godric asked, clearly trying to push the matter forward.

The doctor growled disapprovingly. "It is the question of whether the blood spell should be completely canceled or not. But I think that the spell was moored to something else. The Isidism spell is really powerful when a witch speaks it; even if she doesn't know that she is a witch. Normally, it should have resulted in her parents' spell being canceled. But that is obviously not the case. Therefore, in my opinion, there are only three possibilities, _girl_ : One, you go looking for a witch that understands her craft and completely dissolves the blood magic. Two, you poke around yourself and hope to find the right means by chance. Or, three, you find your biological family and pester them with questions about the whole thing. What should it be?"

Dr. Ludwig stood with her arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

Enid felt slightly happy inside. "Well, since I planned to travel and find out about my past anyway, that's great," she said. But at that very moment the fire stirred in her again and it not only nauseated her, but she also blacked out for a second. With a groan she fell back on her pillow and held her stomach. "Oh god, that's worse than the flu I had with eighteen..." she mumbled indistinctly, wondering how she should survive her multi-month journey.

As if reading Enid's thoughts, Isabel spoke energetically to her. "In this condition, I won't let you travel. That's too dangerous."

Actually Enid wanted to contradict, but even she realized that she wouldn't get very far in this state. She sighed obediently and looked questioningly at Dr. Ludwig. "Can't you do something please? Anything? It cannot stay that way forever!"

Godric stroked her sweaty forehead and turned to Dr. Ludwig too. "Would another blood magic stabilize her enough to be able to travel?"

While Enid looked at him with a hopeful expression, Isabel threw him a shocked and Dr. Ludwig a thoughtful look too.

"Mmh, well, usually the magic of vampire blood isn't _that_ powerful, but considering your age, it could work-"

"No!" Enid interrupted her forcefully and looked at Godric in disbelief. "Vampire blood? Seriously, Godric? Have you forgotten where this took me the last time? I didn't and I'm not eager to swallow any vampire blood again!" She fell silent and looked ashamed on the blanket. "And your punishment was more than clear about it too," she said barely audible.

The silence spreading in the room was interrupted by the loud beeping of Dr. Ludwig's pager. She glanced at it and shook her head again.

"I don't want to interrupt this great atmosphere here, but my next patients are already waiting for me." She took her bag and turned to go. "I expect my payment at the latest in the middle of the week. Should she still take the blood and something unpredictable happens… well, you have my number," she shrugged.

"I will bring you outside, Doctor." Isabel also turned to leave.

"As if I wouldn't find my way out alone. High-handed vampires…" she grumbled clearly audible.

When Isabel closed the door to the room, Enid could have heard the two talking for a while, if she had paid attention. But she didn't. She was well aware why Isabel had also left the room and that Godric was sitting on the edge of the bed now. She sensed that he looked at her expectantly, but she was too ashamed to being able to look up into his eyes.

"Please look at me, Enid," he asked of her with nothing but a calm voice.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to comply with his request. But first she had to try and swallow that nagging feeling of having disappointed him. The more she tried, however, the narrower her throat became. Godric wasn't only her friend, but also a sheriff, and over the past week, she had become fully aware of what her behavior had forced him to do. To her, who he considered to be a friend. The unrelenting heat within her had eased a bit again, but her heart was hurting all the more at that moment.

"I'm sorry, Godric," she whispered, still unable to look at him. "I'm sorry that you had to punish me for my stupidity and I'm also sorry how I treated you afterwards. I... I don't know how to make it up to you."

Enid wanted to rest her forehead on her knees, but Godric gently cupped her chin and turned her head so that she would look at him.

"Little one, I already said that your guilt has been atoned for. My kind may seem alien and sometimes barbaric to you, but our word is reliable." He gently ran a finger over his still visible bite marks on the back of her neck, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine, and then went on. "No vampire will complain about your misstep in the future."

"For sure?" She looked at him incredulously. "The way Stan stared at me when Isabel took me home makes me suspect something else."

Godric nodded seriously. "Surely he and a few others will not forget it so quickly. But they are my underlings and stick to my orders. Enid..." He looked at her with a serious expression in his eyes. "It is not important that they forgive you, because – above all – you have to forgive yourself."

Enid looked at him wide-eyed, but when pain shot up her calves and her legs started to shimmer, she remembered that she had another problem. Tormented, she closed her eyes and tried to breathe away the pulling inside of her.

"Godric?" she asked timidly. "Why do you think your blood would help me?"

He was silent for a while and seemed to be thinking about his answer.

"What I am going to entrust to you is one of the secrets that we vampires do not share lightly with humans and that for a good reason. I trust you, Enid. But you should always remember that even your uncle knows nothing about it and that you are not allowed to say anything to anyone."

"Oh? Are you sure you want to do that when it's such a serious topic? I mean, wouldn't _you_ get into trouble then?" she asked him curiously.

That seemed to amuse him, for the corners of his mouth twitched suspiciously upwards. "It happens rarely, but when a vampire gives his blood to a human voluntarily, then it's completely legal. But it has several consequences that you should know about and that I do not want to withhold from you."

"Okay, I'm all ears." Enid leaned against her pillow to make herself more comfortable and slipped a little to the opposite side of the bed, leaving more space for him. She had to suppress a grin when Godric took advantage of this circumstance right away and also settled down on the bed cross-legged.

"Why I offer you my blood, Enid, is because vampire blood has healing properties."

As he continued, her eyes grew wide, and at the same time she felt her face lose its color.

"The magic that keeps our bodies going is interwoven with our blood and does amazing things. That is why I want you to take it. I am perfectly sure it can restore your magical balance and-"

He broke off as she dropped her forehead on her knees. Enid felt sick. She saw in her mind's eye how Isabel had hugged her not so long ago, muttering that she would help if she could. Angrily, Enid tried to suppress the rising tears as she realized that Isabel actually could have helped to save Kayla's life.

"Enid?" She felt his hand tentatively on her arm and heard within his voice how worried he was about her.

"Just... give me a minute, okay?" she whispered, releasing her arms, which she had wrapped around her legs. Enid knew he would smell her tears anyway, so she didn't even try to hide them and simply wiped them away.

She took a couple of deep breaths to recover, and then looked at him with a faint smile. "Well, now I'm curious about the other side effects. Please, go on, Godric."

He nodded sympathetically to her and took her hands in his, tentatively stroking the back of her upper hand with his thumb. "If you drink my blood, it creates a connection between us."

Before he could go on, she had to satisfy her curiosity and asked, "A connection? What exactly does that mean?"

She tilted her head questioningly and Godric smiled at her slightly scolding. "Patience, Enid." He took an unnecessary breath and then continued his explanation, "When my blood has become a part of you, I will be able to feel your emotions. However, this is only temporary and also depends on distance. The closer we are to each other, the more I would feel it. If you go on your journey and are overseas, I would hardly feel you anymore."

Enid looked at him in amazement with her mouth gaping, but Godric seemed to misunderstand her.

"I understand if that worries you, but I can assure you that I will be able to suppress this connection between us-"

"Are you kidding me?" Enid shook her head and couldn't believe what he was telling her. "You really have to be kidding me..."

"No, Enid, I'm serious." A strange expression crossed his eyes and he leaned back a little. "That should not be a reason to refuse my offer. As I said, I can suppress the connection any-"

While speaking he wanted to let go of her hands, but she quickly grabbed his.

"Godric! Do you have any idea how many women on this planet would want a man who knows about and understands their feelings? So many misunderstandings could be avoided if everyone had this ability."

"So you think such a connection is good?" He looked at her attentively and... Could that be a faint glimmer of hope?

"Yes!" She nodded affirmatively. "I mean, it will certainly be more uncomfortable for you to feel my emotions..." Yes. She could definitely see a spark of hope in his expression now. "If I agree to take your blood, I mean."

At his sincere face, she almost melted, but then her mischievous side took over and she grinned. "And just so you know, there is such a time once a month that can get quite intense emotionally... then don't come running and complain about it." She nudged him on the tip of his nose and laughed softly.

Suddenly, Enid found herself pressed against her pillow again and Godric was over her. "Aaah, there is my carefree Enid again," he purred with a silky voice. When she gasped in surprise, he ran a finger from her left ear very slowly down to her chin and smiled with an expression in his eyes that Enid hadn't seen yet.

"Just so _you_ know, my Enid, I am well aware of the female fertility cycle. This is the time when every woman smells especially divine..." His eyes took on a dreamy expression and when he inhaled the air around him audibly in deep breaths, he closed them and played around with a strand of her hair. He stayed that way for a while, and Enid realized that she was still holding her breath. Quickly she breathed on and didn't really know what she should do now.

The longer he stroked her cheek, the more she realized how close they were to each other and she blushed. She also felt a fire shoot through her again; but this time it had nothing to do with her mysterious heritage. Although she lay stretched out on the bed, her knees became soft. She tried to move under him so that she could sit up again. But when he let out a low growl, she stopped her attempt to free herself and frowned.

"Um, Godric? What..." She snapped her eyes wide open as he shifted his weight completely onto his left arm and was now lying next to her. So very close to her that she couldn't help but feel how something hard was pressed against her hip.

Her breathing quickened and she felt her lower body respond equally to his arousal. Enid bit her lip when she realized, that she was back to the point where she wanted to kiss him. Because, yes, whom wanted she to fool, she found it very arousing to lie next to him and feel his skin on hers. But when she wanted to snuggle even closer to him, he moved away from her and looked at her strangely.

"Godric?" she whispered questioningly.

"I apologize, Enid. I was carried away by a memory." His right hand was now resting on her forearm and his fingertips painted invisible tangled signs on her skin. "I should continue with the side effects..." He cleared his throat unnecessarily and suddenly avoided eye contact with her.

Because he couldn't see her raised eyebrow now, she put her hand on his chest to show him she was listening.

"You will be attracted to me because my blood in you will always seek contact with me. And it is quite possible that you will dream of me and in general your sexual desire will be increased."

Godric still kept his eyes down and barely touched her. Enid wondered why he was so shy now. Or didn't he find her attractive at all and regretted the touch with her from just moments ago? Was it really just such a 'I am a vampire and you have delicious blood in you' thing? This thought thoroughly sobered her and she sat up shakily.

"Well, what can I say? You won't have to worry about that. I'm certainly not going to throw myself at someone who doesn't want me," she replied dryly and with a slightly biting undertone.

She was about to swing her legs out of the bed when she landed on her pillow again. But this time Godric just knelt beside her and held her right hand in his.

"It has been an infinite time since I have gotten so involved with a human like with you, Enid. I know nothing about how you think or feel. But I want to know. Life has become monotonous and often no longer makes sense to me. Let me feel something again, even if these are yours and not my emotions." He kissed the hand he had been holding while speaking, and that caused a pleasant feeling inside her. "Please, Enid, let me give you my blood."

The two just looked at each other for minutes and finally Enid couldn't stand the tension any longer. "I'd like to think about it for a while..."

Godric nodded and then kissed her hand again before he got up and left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**~ Longing touches ~**

  
Enid was lying on the bed for minutes, trying to think of nothing. But when her bladder called, she had to get up. When she set her feet on the floor, the by now familiar tingling began to reappear, stretching from the tips of her toes up into her arms. She thanked the heavens above that the way to the adjoining bathroom wasn't far. Automatically, she wanted to turn on the light in the bathroom, but then she paused and, smiling, decided to leave it dark. Accompanied only by the little light from the bedroom, she went in and began to sing.

" _Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping_ … Well, maybe not while I slept..." She laughed quietly to herself.

Enid sighed and washed her hands after using the toilet. Then she looked up into the mirror, and though she couldn't see much because of the dim light, she saw enough. Her eyes had a tormented expression and her entire appearance screamed fatigue. She didn't want to be like that. She was always full of energy and loved life, even if it sometimes treated her unfairly.

What was she supposed to do now? Thinking about taking vampire blood again scared her quite a bit. But Godric was sure it would help her. And himself... When she thought of him, her heart became warm again and the tingling in her stomach intensified. Could it really be that she felt more for him than just friendship? That her body responded to him had to be expected; it had been years that she had slept with her first and only boyfriend after all. But was it more? And if so, could and would she likes to be with a vampire? She tried to think about it, but her mind seemed to be completely void at the moment. However, fact was, she had to decipher her past anyway, and to do that she wouldn't be able to avoid accepting Godric's offer.

She tried to get a few knots out of her hair with her fingers and with a satisfied sigh she left the bathroom to sit on the bed again. Instead of fear, nervousness was spreading through her now. She could live with the side effects Godric had described. Most of them already applied to her anyway. But what if it went wrong again? At least she'd be in this room and… maybe in his arms? She was sure he wouldn't leave her alone with that. He was special, her Godric. She thought of all the stories he had told her about himself and what she had heard from Isabel – stories from a time when white wigs were still the height of fashion, stories of his and his son's many follies, and that he was called Death for a very long time. At first all of this was hardly believable since she had difficulties imagining how her quiet and serious Godric could have been such a somber fellow. But nowadays life was comfortable and when you didn't have to experience it for yourself, most things like hunger, poverty and war were always very far away and unimaginable. And maybe the saying 'still waters run deep' had been created precisely for people such like him.

Smiling at that thought, Enid stretched out on the bed to relax. Then a song came to her mind which she loved very much. And while she closed her eyes, she remembered the lyrics.

  
________________________________________

  
When he had left the bedroom, Isabel had been at his side immediately. Not to criticize his offer, but to thank him. She did not need words for that, but had bowed reverential with her right hand over her heart. He had put his hand on his longtime confidant's shoulder and nodded understandingly while she looked at him. Isabel had retired after that, leaving only the food and clothes for Enid that she had packed.

Now he stood at the window and looked out over the dimly lit garden to a flower that bloomed only at night. Weeks ago Isabel had bought and planted it after he told her that Enid had compared him to one.

While Godric was thinking back to that night, he hoped that Enid would take his blood. He did not just want it for her sake. Before he had met her, everything had become more and more apathetical to him and it was true what he had told her; the thought of enjoying the sunrise one last time without standing behind protective UV-filtering glass had come to him more than once. He wanted to feel life again and enjoy it. But, on his own, he would not be able to tear down the wall he had built around his emotions from the very beginning of his vampiric life. It had cracks that he felt very clearly. A young girl who had treated him like her equals with cheerfulness and a mischievous tongue had begun to lead him back to his long-forgotten humanity. And he wanted to continue on this path.

With his thoughts he let his senses flow automatically to her too. It had been very quiet in the bedroom, but focusing on Enid now, he heard her humming. It was a nice tune and he walked slowly to the door and opened it silently to hear her even better. With the wrapped sandwiches in his hand he stood in the doorway and watched her.

He felt his fangs push against his gums while he could not take his eyes off her. Enid lay sprawled on the bed, on her stomach, and painted figures on the sheet with her forefinger. She gently moved her body to the tune she was humming. Godric did not want to disturb her, but she seemed to feel his presence again and looked at him while she sat up, smiling.

She patted on the bed sheet right next to her. "Will you join me here, Godric?"

He nodded and held up the sandwiches on the short way to the bed. "Isabel got them for you. You should eat something." When Enid bent her legs to sit cross-legged, he assumed the same posture opposite of her. He saw that she had trouble keeping her hands steady and took hers in his. "Are you nervous, Enid?"

Her eyes were clear and sincere as she nodded. "I... Godric..." She bit her lip and then took the sandwich packet to put it on the small cupboard next to the bed. "I'm just too nervous to eat now. Godric... What if it doesn't work and then you're also forced to feel that constant tingling and burning and... well, this whole transformation process over and over again?"

She looked at him anxiously and his heart filled with joy at the realization that she was worried about him. He gave her his sincerest smile. "Have faith, my Enid. And have you forgotten that I can shut the-"

"Yes, I know, but that wouldn't be a solution. Isn't it really exhausting to keep this connection closed all the time?"

He chuckled and kissed the backs of her hands. "No. Do you have any other concerns? I will gladly dispel them," he assured her, crossing his fingers with hers. "If not, there is something I really wanted to ask you too, my Enid."

"Huh?" Her face colored some more, and guessing at what she might be thinking, had him grinning.

"I wanted to ask how you knew I was there, both now and in the past few days. Even if your senses are already so intensified from the V you took that you know you were being watched..."

When she suddenly showed a sassy grin, he did not finish his sentence and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Mmmh, you really want to know that? I'm not sure I should tell you... after all, you know... a secret makes a woman a woman," she purred at him.

He could not resist; he leaned very close to her and whispered into her ear, "I love this side of you... but you should not tempt me to elicit your secrets in any other way than talking about it, little one. Although, I am sure you would like it."

While he slid his nose down her throat to kiss her neck, he could hear her heartbeat accelerate. With relish, he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent greedily. Even though it had a bitter undertone from the pain at the moment, she still smelled incredibly good. Having already tasted her blood the night of her punishment, he knew she had the blood type O negative. It was not his favorite blood type, but he also liked this mix of roses, coolness and spice very much.

Opening all his senses, he took in a deep breath. He wanted to take her in as much as possible, and countless fine aromas pervaded him: the acrid smell of her silver earrings that she sometimes wore, the sweetness of coconut from her skin cream, a touch of vanilla from her deodorant and... yes, again coconut fragrance mixed with orange emanating from her hair. And besides all this, the ambrosial female smell of her arousal stood out the most.

"Mmmmh, you like coconut, my sweet little one."

He leaned back to look at her and smiled lovingly at her. Seeing her sit in front of him with a fast-pounding heart and wild rushing blood filled his heart with joy and ardent longing.

"My Enid, even if you like to keep your secrets..." He squeezed her hands lightly and grinned wickedly. "Would you still tell me which song you hummed earlier? It was beautiful."

"Oh?" She blushed like a tomato. He did not only have to suppress a rumbling growl but also needed to call his fangs to order, which ached to be released and throbbed with desire for her delicious blood.

"What exactly got your blood so stirred up, sweet little one?" he asked in a slightly pressed voice.

"Um... it's a song about you? I mean..." Now she squeezed his hands. "I know that you once had the nickname Death and I remembered a song about death that I heard when I lived with my aunt in Germany." She lowered her eyes timidly and looked at him through her fine eyelashes. "Do you speak German too? Shall I sing it to you?"

He laughed inwardly at the friendly and totally inappropriate term 'nickname' and then nodded. "I would love to hear you sing."

This elicited a liberating laugh from Enid. "But don't expect too much, I'm not a Whitney Houston or Céline Dion..."

"Well, I do not know these two. But I like to be surprised by your lovely voice."

His Enid seemed to have vowed to destroy his self-control today for her intoxicating blood shot up to her hairline again. She was a picture for the gods and he was glad that he was still sitting cross-legged and holding her hands. This posture stopped him from rushing at her and throwing his intention to never ravish her overboard, even though he wanted her so much that it almost hurt physically.

"Okay..." She pulled him out of his thoughts with a whisper and began to hum with a gently rising and falling voice before actually starting to sing.

_Komm tanz mit mir, tanz in dieser Nacht_   
_Dreh dich, bis der Morgen erwacht_   
_Tanz mit mir bis zum Tagesgrauen_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_

_Als kleines Mädchen kamst du in mein Haus_   
_Und spieltest mit der Sense herum_   
_Doch dann kam ein Medicus, zerrt dich ins Leben_   
_Und unsere schöne Zeit war um._

_Komm tanz mit mir, tanz in dieser Nacht_   
_Dreh dich, bis der Morgen erwacht_   
_Tanz mit mir bis zum Tagesgrauen_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_

_Als junge Frau war dein Antlitz so hold,_   
_Dass ein Mann dich heiraten wollt_   
_Doch am Altar warn die Worte gesprochen,_   
_Trenn ich euch, sei euer Bund zerbrochen_

_Komm tanz mit mir, tanz in dieser Nacht_   
_Dreh dich, bis der Morgen erwacht_   
_Tanz mit mir bis zum Tagesgrauen_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_

_Als liebende Mutter gefielst du mir sehr_   
_Und deine Kinder wurden bald mehr_   
_Das ein oder andere, das du vermisst,_   
_Das holt ich mir und hab dich dabei geküsst_

_Komm tanz mit mir, tanz in dieser Nacht_   
_Dreh dich, bis der Morgen erwacht_   
_Tanz mit mir bis zum Tagesgrauen_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_

_Marmorweiß ist nun dein langes Haar_   
_Schwer der Schritt, der so leicht einmal war_   
_Doch glaube mir, das Tanzen wird gehen_   
_Um ewig zu Leben bist du viel zu schön_

_Komm tanz mit mir, tanz in dieser Nacht_   
_Dreh dich, bis der Morgen erwacht_   
_Tanz mit mir bis zum Tagesgrauen_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_   
_Dann nehm ich dich mit_

_Dann bist Du bei mir, dann hab ich Dich hier_

While she sang, he closed his eyes and let himself be captivated by the melody, the lyrics and above all by her sensual voice. When she got quieter and the last line was sung, she leaned toward him and rested her forehead against his right shoulder.

"I'm sorry... I'm totally exhausted. It seems to me that everything in me wants to shift again..." She groaned, tormented.

"Sssh, little one, everything will be alright," he promised, pulling her into his lap so she could lean her back against his chest. Caressing her cheek with his left hand, he leaned closer to her ear.

"Thank you, my Enid, for sharing this song with me. You would make me very happy if I am allowed to accompany you throughout your life like in this song."

She sighed in agreement and he finally released his fangs and bit into his right wrist.

"Drink, my sweet Enid..."

When he brought his wrist to her mouth, she trembled briefly, but nonetheless tasted his blood without hesitation. Godric felt goose bumps spread on her arms and she straightened herself slightly in his lap.

"Yes. That is good."

Then he began to feel his blood within her, how it ran down her throat and gathered in her stomach for a moment. When it was absorbed by her mucous membranes and moved further and further into her body, to her every cell, he even felt her satisfied growl vibrating through their bodies before he could hear it. Godric felt very excited and smiled contentedly when she raised her arms and clasped his wrist to drink more of his blood.

It was an incredible feeling when she ran her silky tongue over his skin and took in his life elixir. Godric wanted to pull himself together for Enid's sake, but when she moaned and began to grind against him, his self-control vanished. He let his left hand wander down her body and circled her lower abdomen with gentle movements over her shirt. Enid gasped in delight. Encouraged, his hand wandered even lower. Gentle but demanding, he forced her thighs apart and then slid his hand into her pants. His fingertips touched the lace of her panties and left them behind too. He cupped her mound with his palm and stroked over her folds with his fingers.

The bite marks on his wrist had healed by now, but she kept his arm clasped as if it were a lifeline. Enid lowered her head to his shoulder and Godric saw that she had licked every last drop of his blood. Satisfied, he turned her head to him so he could steal a kiss from her. She willingly opened her mouth and received his tongue with hers. It was a slow kiss and Godric enjoyed every second of it.

In the meantime, he no longer felt any pain from within her, only profound joy and a steadily growing arousal. He was glad that his blood had really helped her and wanted to withdraw his left hand. But, apparently, Enid enjoyed his caresses too much to stop now. With her left hand, she held his in place, while she grasped his head with her right hand and stroked his hair.

Godric growled in satisfaction and let his fingers slide through her nether lips. Her arousal was like a fine mist enveloping him, but to feel how wet she was because of him almost made him crazy with desire.

Her heart was racing and her breathing got faster and faster. Godric was aware that he should let go of her, but he wanted to give Enid pleasure. Wanted to give her a reason to come back here after her journey; right back into his arms. He wanted to give her a taste of the physical pleasures he could bring her. And above all, he wanted to see and hear her surrender to the overwhelming rush of a climax caused by him. Godric knew it was selfish, but he just did not care, and the way Enid reacted, she did not care either.

While gently rubbing her clit with one finger, he entered her wet core with a second. Godric smirked against her lips when she obviously could not focus on kissing anymore and her eyes took on a glassy expression. Her moans became louder and the beguiling scent of her femininity heavier the longer he slowly thrust into her.

Then, suddenly, he broke away from her and let her sink carefully onto the bed. That ripped Enid out of her blissful fog and she opened her kiss-swollen lips. But before she could protest, he was very close to her again and whispered into her ear.

"Do not worry, my sweet Enid. I do not mean to let you go now. But you smell so overwhelming that I just have to taste you..."

Her small pleading gasp went right into his undead heart and he vowed to elicit it as often as possible from her.

When she lay stretched out on the bed, he lifted her hips with his hands and pulled both her pants and panties off at once. Godric admired the soft hair between her legs for a few seconds, which was the same color as her beautiful long hair, and then caught her lips in a kiss again. But when she opened her mouth for him, he withdrew.

"Not here, my Enid..." He let one hand slowly slide up from her knee and whispered in anticipation.

"Here I want to taste you. Do you want to feel me? Right here, in your center of pleasure?"

Enid's eyes fluttered shut and she just whispered, "Godric..."

"I hear and feel you, my sweet Enid." With vampire speed, he quickly pulled off her shirt, opened her bra and kissed her breast directly over her wildly beating heart. "Now spread your legs for me..."

She complied with Godric's request without hesitation. Settling between her legs, he began caressing her pearl again, this time with his tongue. Watching her body undulate because of his touch let his own desire soar. He let his tongue glide up and down, pushing it into her entrance intentionally only now and then, until her breath was shuddering and she squirmed beneath him like a sensual snake. Like Enid, he sensed the slowly but surely longed-for tension in her body, and he cruelly sat up.

Obviously dissatisfied, she hissed at Godric and narrowed her eyes, which caused a smirk to appear on his face.

"Do you know how much your second nature has already taken over? I cannot wait to see you in your animal form..." he purred and entered her wet, hot, absolutely irresistible core first with one, then with two fingers. His own hardness threatened to burst his pants by now, but he postponed his climax until later. For now he only wanted to enjoy the bliss he could give her.

While he softly stretched her further with his fingers, he teased her clit with his tongue again. She panted and whimpered and it was music to his ears. Her hands were tangled in the sheets, threatening to tear them to pieces. When he felt that she was ready, he entered her slowly with a third finger and moved deeper within her. At first with gentle movements, but when she demanded more, he obeyed her with pleasure.

His hand quickened its pace more and more until he almost thrust into her with vampire speed. He opened her legs even further and started sucking on her clit. She was so unbelievably wet for him. He drank her sweetness until he felt her inner muscles begin to clench around his fingers. He let go of her clit and caught her mouth without delay. She moaned his name as her body tensed. Godric thrust two more times into her, deep and fast, and then felt the exact moment she fell over the edge with a loud gasp.

He slowed his pace when he kissed her passionately and enjoyed her undulating body beneath him, but he stayed deep within her for a short while until she had recovered from the high of her orgasm.

Enid was still panting when she closed her eyes in exhaustion. Godric gently pulled away from her, bringing his hand to his mouth and licking her sweetness from his fingers with a rumbling pleasure, while his own throbbing hardness begged to be freed. Godric lay down next to his Enid and rested his forehead against hers when she rolled onto the side. A liberating rumble broke from his chest as he released his member from his pants and stroked it with quick thrusts. Like Enid, he closed his eyes, enjoying the incredible smell of both their arousals and the still swelling pressure in his manhood.

But then he felt Enid's warm hands on his face and opened his eyes again, looking right into hers. He barely recognized them, now that they were almost yellowish in color and had a hungry look that he found fascinating.

"Quid pro quo, vampire," she imitated the doctor with a mischievous grin and shooed his hand away from himself.

"Now it's my turn to taste you..."

She moistened her fingertip for a moment before touching him where he wanted it most. When she gently stroked his peak, he almost came. But then she let go and slipped deeper on the bed. An unexpected anticipation spread in Godric, and when she cradled his member with her tender lips and nudged his tip with her tongue, it was too much for him. He did not know if his Enid wanted to taste his seed, too, but it was too late to ask. Gasping her name, he found his release and was for several minutes trapped in the bliss he had withheld from himself for countless years.

A few minutes later, his mind cleared again and he found Enid's head pressed against his stomach. With light touches, she continued to stroke his member. But he felt her tiredness. With a quick movement, he shifted behind her and pulled her tight against his body. Although it was unnecessary for him, he also breathed in constantly and adapted to her rhythm. They both enjoyed the silence and their intimate togetherness. When Enid fell asleep, Godric let himself slide into downtime, deeply satisfied, until the day wiped out his thoughts.

  
________________________________________

  
**Translated Lyrics for Tanz Mit Mir by Die Irrlichter**

Come dance with me, dance that night  
Turn around until the morning wakes up  
Dance with me until daylight  
Then I'll take you with me  
Then I'll take you with me

As a little girl, you came to my house  
And played with the scythe  
But then a medicus came and dragged you to life  
And our good time was over.

As a young woman, your countenance was so lovely  
That a man wanted to marry you  
But at the altar the words were spoken,  
When I separate you, your bond will be broken

As a loving mother you pleased me very much  
And your children were soon more  
The one or the other that you miss,  
I picked them up and kissed you while I was at it

Marble white now is your long hair  
Heavy is the step that was once so light  
But believe me, dancing will work  
You are much too beautiful to live forever

Come dance with me, dance that night  
Turn around until the morning wakes up  
Dance with me until daylight  
Then I'll take you with me  
Then I'll take you with me

Then you are with me, then I have you here

**(In German it rhymes ;-) )**


	16. Chapter 16

**~ Death opens its arms ~**

\- 3 months later -

  
Enid sat on her favorite rock and let the warm September wind whirl her hair as she watched the breathtaking sunrise on the horizon. She was still dizzy from the dream of Godric she had had last night, but she already knew that. Since he had given her his blood, the dreams had come reliably every night and had sweetened her sleep. Her most beautiful dream had taken place in the sea. She had been a powerful witch and had cast a spell for herself so that she, like Godric, didn't have to breathe under water. And then the two of them had swum for minutes, hours, days… had dived and loved each other on the bottom of the sea while hiding there from the daylight...

A smile aching with longing played around her lips when she thought back to that night. It had been the night when she left Egypt, the night after meeting Kayla's parents again. Enid had felt both a sense of gratitude that she was allowed to be there when Kayla's ashes were carried away by the desert wind, but also a profound grandeur to be able to see those centuries-old monumental buildings. Kayla had been fascinated by the pyramids since she first saw them in a picture. That was why her parents had decided to send her ashes onto its journey there, in front of the huge tombstones of the ancient pharaohs.

It had been only the three of them; they sat down in the desert sand away from the many tourists and talked about Kayla's short life. Both Enid and Kayla's parents had laughed and cried, and in the end Enid had watched as Mr. and Mrs. Trower handed their daughter's ashes to the wind. It was a beautiful moment, and Enid right then and there had the wonderful feeling of a small child's hand resting on her shoulder and saying goodbye to her. She couldn't stop a few more tears, but she was glad that the little girl was now fully reunited with the elements. Enid hoped Kayla's soul would find peace on its travels.

When seeing the sun rise over the desert sand beyond the pyramids the next morning, Enid had noticed that the heavy burden she had carried on her heart after the little girl's death had disappeared. She had smiled at the rising sun and it had been the most beautiful sunrise ever since she left Dallas.

Now she was sitting there on this rock staring into the distance. Still trapped in her memories, she barely saw the beginning of the primeval forest to her right, or the gentle waves of the sea which crashed against the coast. She was frustrated. She had flown back to the States after her journey to Egypt and even found the head of the orphanage where she had lived as a child. But then the luck had left her. Since video surveillance had been a foreign word at that time, nobody really knew anything about her parents. The meanwhile very old woman had only advised her not to fret about it and to live her life.

But Enid couldn't do that. In a desperate attempt to summon the ghosts of the past, she had driven to the abandoned building and sat down on the stone staircase where she had lain as a baby. How many hours she had sat there, she didn't know, but at some point the night had fallen and her cell phone had rung. Enid chuckled darkly as she thought of Godric's worried voice.

  
**_≈ Flashback ≈_ **

  
_"Enid, where are you?"_

"Wow, I'm also glad to hear from you, Godric. I wish you a wonderful evening..." she answered sarcastically.

_"Enid!"_

"Yeah, all right, Mr. Grouch. I'm at a dead end. Satisfied?" She sighed and rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

_"What exactly is going on with you, my Enid? I feel that you are back on this side of the sea and that you are dominated by dark emotions."_

She had to laugh at those words.

"Oh Godric, did Isabel force you to watch Star Wars? Don't worry, I'm not surrendering to the dark side of power... I'm just totally frustrated. Really stuck here. I'm currently sitting on the stairs where my biological parents had left me, and I hoped for a flash of inspiration or a heavenly appearance to show me the way to them. And what happens? Nothing, nada!"

Sighing, Enid stretched her legs out and looked up to the stars.

"I had hoped that I somehow... you know... maybe I could find subconsciously a lingering familiar scent which I could track then. But that was a silly thought and pure wishful thinking."

For a few moments it was quiet in the line.

_"Enid?"_

"Hmm?"

_"I want you to do me a favor."_

That made her sit up and listen. "Okaaay? What's on your mind?"

_"Open yourself, Enid-"_

"What?" she exclaimed, startled, and blushed fiercely. "Godric!"

Did he really want to have phone sex now? But when he chuckled, she relaxed a little bit.

_"Although I would love to do what you have in mind, my Enid, I meant something else."_

She still had a bright red head and had to calm down. The nocturnal dreams about Godric had caused a tremendous sexual tension in her body.

_"I want you to open your mind. Sit down and relax. And it is best to sit upright."_

"Ah, I know. That's important for breathing." Enid had turned on her speaker and sat cross-legged in front of the stairs on a grass patch.

 _"Correct, my Enid,"_ Godric agreed. _"Concentrate on your breathing and that you are completely one with yourself."_

Then it was quiet again for a while and while Enid cleared her mind of all thoughts, she knew that Godric at the same time pursued their common bond, as her emotional chaos subsided. It was a nice feeling to let go and just listen – to her inner voice and at the same time without compulsion to the closer environment. Fascinating noises streamed into her: her steady heartbeat, the blood in her veins – somewhere deep inside she wondered why she could hear her own blood rushing! – a small animal that rustled in the grass not far from her, the leaves above her in the trees, moved by the balmy wind, a cacophony of distant horns and rants of the car drivers who finally wanted to go home...

 _"Good, Enid,"_ she also heard Godric's soft voice from her phone. _"And now remember the night in the park when you felt connected to nature. You told me that you could stretch out your senses. Do it again. Slowly and carefully."_

Enid's heart stopped for a moment, and then continued to beat faster. This memory was associated with immense pain for her and now made her recoil from her meditation.

_"Enid, calm down. Do you trust me?"_

"Of course, Godric, but..." She bit her bottom lip and tried to pull herself together.

_"No buts. Enid, you are no longer the sad woman of that night. You are strong and brave. And above all, you are determined and ready to accept the changes in your body. You followed your instincts that told you that, right there, you can find a connection to your past and that is your greatest strength. What makes humans seem so weak to other beings is the fact that they have lost touch with their gut instincts. They no longer know how to just listen. But you are about to find your inner voice again. Embrace and use it. And do not be afraid, my Enid. I will guide you through it. Ready?"_

Enid felt a warm breeze rising within her and smiled. She knew that this sense of calm and determination came from Godric. It was really fascinating what he could send her through their bond. Enid took a few deep breaths and then said firmly, "Ready".

Then, suddenly, a wave of Godric's pride overtook her, and she wondered if with such ability, many more long-distance relationships would last longer...

_"Close your eyes again, my Enid, and focus only on yourself again. Listen deeply to yourself; how your heart beats and how it pumps blood through your body every time your muscles contract."_

This time, Enid found it much easier to relax, and she was soon surrounded by the constant beating of her heart and the rush of her blood.

_"Very good, my Enid. Now answer a question for me, yes? How does blood smell?"_

Eyes closed, she frowned, wondering what this question might be for. When she heard Godric's soft laugh, she blushed, feeling caught.

_"You must not think so much. Trust me, Enid. How does blood smell?"_

"Well, I can't remember ever having smelled blood before, but it tastes metallic. Does that help anyway?"

 _"Yes, the sense of smell and taste is closely linked and with your expanded senses, it should not be a problem for you to smell your blood. Try it, Enid. You hear it rushing. It flows through you and you know it is metallic. You can taste the iron in your lifeblood on the tongue. Now open your senses and smell it too,"_ he purred encouraging.

Then he was silent again and Enid focused on herself. After several minutes not only her taste buds reported the metallic iron taste, but also the fine hairs in her nose. She was inwardly very happy about her success.

When Godric congratulated her, she smiled. Needless to say, he had felt her joy over their bond...

_"Now focus only on your sense of smell, my Enid. Every creature has its very own scent, but since children are born from the genes of their parents, their fragrance has the same nuances. So inhale your surroundings and focus on the scent of your blood and let your sense of smell wander around. Look for your scent, just in slightly different variations."_

Enid tried, really tried it with all her might. As in the park, she managed to expand her sense with almost no problem, but she only perceived newer smells. The more she struggled, the more frustrated she became.

"It doesn't work, Godric," she whispered, knowing he would hear her anyway.

_"Do not give up. I know it is difficult; after all it has been years. But I also know that you can do it. Search in the hollows of tree bark, on the stones... on the stone steps. If they dropped you right by the door, they must have entered the stairs."_

Breathing deeply, Enid focused on the stone steps and the area directly in front of the entrance door. It took a long time to sniff every inch, but Godric waited patiently and didn't interrupt her efforts.

Suddenly, she perceived something familiar and was immediately at this spot. She dropped to her knees and held her nose close to the floor. _'Yes!'_ she thought joyfully. She had found the scent of her parents! Fearfully, she stopped at exactly this spot so as not to lose it again and sucked it deep inside herself to memorize the fragrance forever. It was really just the hint of a trail that had somehow found its way into the upper layer of the stone. But the longer she inhaled and concentrated on it, the more she automatically shifted into a kind of trance and found herself in tune with her newly awakened senses.

Enid didn't know how long she had stayed on the stairs, but after what seems like hours, she felt a warm wave from Godric again that reassured her to continue. She opened her eyes and immediately realized that despite the darkness she could see perfectly.

"Woah..." she whispered in awe. She let her eyes wander everywhere and then looked at the bright stars. They had never looked so breathtakingly radiant!

 _"Enid?"_ she heard a voice calling from far away.

But she was caught by the sight in front of her. In addition she heard a soft charming chirping on a tree, a frog in the nearby river and the bright laughter of a woman in the village not far away. She didn't know why this woman laughed, but she was so happy that she wanted to laugh too.

_"Enid!"_

The voice sounded more urgent now and suppressed her good mood. Without realizing it, she let out a growl, hoping to drive away the annoying voice. And, in fact, her phone didn't make any noise again. Inwardly exultant, she made herself ready to run into the forest to truly become one with nature, but then she felt a touch on her shoulder. Gasping she turned reflexively, but there was no one behind her. Carefully she scanned her surroundings, but then she felt a sudden hug and was soaked through by a strong warm feeling of affection that forced her to her knees.

 _"Do not lose sight of your goal, my Enid. You went there to find your past, your parents. Follow their scent, but do not forget your phone. When your human half regains the upper hand again, you will miss it painfully,"_ the voice spoke quickly.

Then the warm hug retreated a little, so she could get up again. She shook her head slightly and sprinted off after collecting her cell phone while running…

  
_**≈ End flashback ≈** _

  
She had to smile at this memory. This wasn't the last time that her second nature had taken over. But she was glad about that, because it had brought her here. She didn't know exactly where she was; somewhere in Venezuela, that much was clear. But she had left her car in the last village before she had left civilization on foot. In her light luggage were only the most necessary things for everyday life in nature and her passport. She had followed her parents' scent trail continuously, but for three days now she was stuck again. On the small plateau under the stone, to which she had been returning since she found it, the trail had thickened enormously with other odors, but in a way that sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. Her cell phone had become unusable for a long time without a reception, so she was on her own. But she had learned a lot in the last three months and kept coming back to herself now, meditated and always stretching out her senses.

Enid was systematic and had already worked out a large part of the jungle around her. All of a sudden, she heard a shrill scream not far away, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Her body was in motion before she had made up her mind; leaping from her rock, she ran in the direction of the scream and dipped into the jungle a few seconds later. It was as if she hadn't been there for only three days but as if she had spent all her life in that jungle. Enid coped without problems and made fast progress.

It wasn't long before she stood in a clearing after jumping over an artificially created undergrowth barrier. Immediately, she took a crouched stance and let out a dull roar watching the scene in front of her; there were two men beating an older woman. With her acute sense of hearing, Enid heard the woman utter pleading words and knew that she had been the one whose scream had lured her. The two men stopped beating and kicking the woman when they noticed Enid.

But it wasn't just Enid standing there anymore. The brutal sight in front of her made her so furious that it felt like a switch inside of her was activated – and her animal instincts almost completely took the lead. And so the men didn't see her soft green eyes, but yellow, angry animal eyes and bared teeth. But her appearance lacked the desired effect. Instead of letting go of the old woman and running away in fear, they both started shouting and coming towards her with dangerous-looking clubs. Enid hesitated as both approached grimly, and when the woman lying in the dust shouted in a panicked voice to run away, her body started moving again.

But just as she turned, she saw a shadow leap across the undergrowth and barely managed to cross her arms protectively in front of her head. The force of the blow didn't smash her skull, but dropped her to the ground. And then the other two men were above her as well, beating her with their clubs. Enid tried to curl up to be as small as possible and continue to protect her head, but the rest of her body ached like hell in no time and she let out screams of anguish. She didn't know how long the men were dealing with her, but after what felt like hours, she felt a jerk on her wrists and that she was dragged across the ground. She fought, shouting and kicking at her attackers, but she had no chance against the three of them. They threw her forcefully down on the ground again, and the last thing she saw before they knocked her unconscious were the sad eyes of the old woman, who shed tears and had a hand outstretched in her direction.

  
\- x -

  
An uneven swing brought her back to herself. Even before she opened her eyes, she smelled the salt in the air and knew she was in a boat. She tried to move, but a sharp stabbing in her ribs made her moan in agony. And immediately there were hands on her body again and loud, vicious voices shouted something in a language she didn't know. She hurt all over, and when she opened her eyes, crippling fear spread in Enid. Her hands were bound with a tight rope and one of the men was about to tie a large stone to her feet. Enid's eyes grew wide and she tried to free herself despite the enormous pain. But the other two were also in the boat and held her down mercilessly.  
"Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

She shouted at them and kept trying to release her hands from her ties, but there was no use. The three of them just grinned evilly and began to lift her up. Once again she pushed herself against them, but then the stone was over the rail and she was thrown after it. Enid barely managed to take a deep breath before she was relentlessly pulled down.

She was sinking deeper and deeper with every passing second and her attempts to free herself were hampered by her rising panic. But, somehow, the water must have sufficiently softened the knot of the rope, because suddenly she was able to wriggle her hands out. She immediately tried to get to her feet, but the constant pull into the depths and the increasing pressure in her lungs prevented it. Therefore, she tried again to come back closer to the surface with swimming movements. But the stone attached to her ankle made it a futile exercise. She knew that screaming wouldn't do her any good, and as the surface continued to slide farther and farther away, resignation set in. Her lungs by now were desperate for air and her body was burning like fire. Her arms became heavy.

She tried to hold out as long as she could, but when she could no longer stand the increasing pressure, she opened her mouth in a last attempt to catch a breath. But there was no air. Only water – and it quickly filled her lungs. Seeing her fathers in front of her inner eyes she wanted to fight again, but her strength was gone; like so many months ago, her life force left her once more.

Her eyes searched again for the surface, glittering like stars in the night too far above her. Deep inside her a flame exploded, rapidly spreading into a wild fire that burned her from inside out.

Enid closed her eyes and just let it happen.


	17. Chapter 17

**~ Revenge ~**

  
Air. There was air in her lungs and she could breathe…

Shuddering, she shook herself and a cascade of small drops of water suddenly enveloped her. She felt drained but at the same time driven by a very strong feeling. It was a new feeling for her; she had never experienced it until that moment. But her instinct told her that it was hunger. It was a really strong sensation, and automatically, she directed all her senses to finding something edible.

There were noises all around her; some quietly scratching and some calling out loud. It was animal noises, and even though some sounded uncanny, she wasn't afraid. No animal close-by could be dangerous to her. Far away she heard an even grinding and automatically knew that she had to pay attention to this snake. But it was still a long way away and she had a few more minutes before she had to move to avoid it; after all, the local snakes could become huge...

Since she was still a little shaky on her legs, she lay down again. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the damp earth beneath her. Now dry her fur was warmed by the gentle rays of the sun, which darted over her irregularly. Every fur hair moved gently in the soft, warm wind and she let out a contented purr. Then the wind turned and a pleasant scent rose in her sensitive nose. Her stomach grumbled loudly and she rose slowly again as she opened her eyes. A strange sensation interrupted her hunger and she noticed that she was standing on all four legs. It was a very strange feeling, but it had to be that way, right? What irritated her as well was her field of vision – it was closer to the ground as she somehow remembered it. But she could see much further and sharper. Therefore, she dispelled these strange thoughts and focused again on the delicious smell. Not far from her, she heard the gentle sound of waves and crept in curiously.

With her head up, she caught herself sniffing the air attentively every few steps. Yes! The delicious smell definitely came from the direction of the waves. Automatically, her legs began to move and carried her in that direction.

It was not long before she reached the edge of the forest. Cowering in the shelter of the last trees, she scanned the area and quickly discovered the origin of the smell. It was some animal that spun on a branch over a fire. She couldn't see what kind of animal it was that sizzled there over the campfire, but it smelled delicious. The smell almost distracted her from the men sitting there guarding the little camp. If the fried animal had been unguarded, she would have stormed there immediately, her mouth watering from sheer anticipation. But as the two men laughed at something, she forced her attention to them. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. Somehow the two seemed familiar to her. Could it be that she had met them before? She lay in wait in her hiding place and tried to suppress that nagging feeling that the men should tell her something.

For a quarter of an hour, she watched the two talking, turning the dead animal on its spit now and then and taking large sips from their bottles every few minutes. Just as one burped loudly and then laughed, a third older looking man came out of the forest. But he wasn't alone. He dragged an old woman behind him and pushed her to the ground in front of the other two. Now all three of them laughed, and when she heard the woman whimpering, the memory why she knew these bastards came rushing back.

With sheer force of will, she stifled the aggressive growl that formed in her throat and carefully straightened herself a little to have a better overview of her surroundings. The men had set up camp in the open ground, but the branches of two or three trees still came close to them. If she moved nimbly... Yes, that would work. When she moved cautiously backwards so as not to reveal herself by a telltale sound, she had in her head the power and speed she needed to overwhelm the three men.

In the shelter of a particularly thick tree she quickly climbed up to it and disappeared in the dense foliage of the crown. It was a great feeling to extend her claws and claw into the bark. What would it be like to feel her claws in their bodies? The anticipation made her shiver slightly and she had to stop briefly, otherwise she would have slipped off a branch. Since when was she so awkward on her legs?

When she heard a panicked cry, her thoughts returned to the here and now, and she saw the three men plunge toward the older woman. As she continued her cautious steps, two held the woman's arms and legs, and the third was about to lift the long skirt of the woman.

She felt both a rising nausea and an unruly rage and dropped all precaution. She ran and reached the end of the long branch within a few seconds. With a brave jump, she lunged at the bastard who was about to loosen his belt and let out a bloodcurdling hiss.

The men froze, and before they could do anything, she had pushed away the first off the woman and slashed his carotid artery with her sharp teeth. His deafening scream hurt her sensitive ears and she bit his throat again to silence him. A bit of blood splashed into her mouth and, disgusted, she retched to get rid of it.

This brief diversion was enough for the remaining two men to unfreeze and react. But while one rushed towards her, shouting loudly, the second ran to their belongings. Had he lunged for her too, she probably wouldn't have had a chance. After all, she had never attacked anyone and had no experience in it. But this way, with their force divided, she could shake off this second man without problems and inflict deep bleeding wounds in his arms and legs.

While he remained lying, bleeding heavily and groaning in pain, she trotted to the woman and licked over her hand to show that she had nothing to fear from her. Recognition spread in the woman's eyes and she smiled sadly at her. Then her eyes went wide and she gave a shrill warning cry.

But she wouldn't have needed it, because even as the last remaining bastard approached, her instinct warned her loud and clear and let her whirl around. She growled, and when she saw him furiously rushing towards her with a machete in his hand, she stopped thinking and reacted only on instinct.

She smoothly dodged his first punch, then moved a bit away. The man now stood right in front of the old woman still lying on the ground, who whimpered and covered her head with her arms to protect herself. But the man had eyes only for her, following her every move and swinging the machete threateningly, all the while muttering words unknown to her ears. She tried to circle him, but he was apparently a trained fighter. Whether she backed away, faked an attack or dodged at the last second, in no moment did he become careless and let his cover fall. The hearts of the other two had already stopped beating, but she didn't know how to get to that last one. It was enough to nearly drive her crazy!

She didn't take her eyes off him for a second, but she nonetheless saw it when the elder woman rose quietly and picked up a rock. A plan formed in her head as fast as lightning. Continuing to walk around the last man, she backed away from him, forcing herself to slower steps. When she got him standing with his back to the old woman, she let her hind paws buckle, and when his eyes flashed malevolently, she knew that her plan to fake fatigue had succeeded.

Just as he was about to approach her with his raised weapon, the stone the old woman had thrown hit him on the back. He growled and screamed at her without turning around. The woman hung her head in apparent defeat, whimpering, and again these unknown words sounded from the man's mouth. But this time he was laughing with victory. Then another stone hit him, this time on the head, and with a hiss he whirled around to the woman.

That was her chance! Without hesitation, she sprang up from her submissive posture and overcame the distance to the man with two quick jumps. She landed on his back and bit into his neck as soon as he hit the ground with an astonished cry, never giving him the chance to raise his hand against the old woman. He tried to fight back, screaming furiously, but she only bit down harder and felt his blood pour out of his body faster and faster. A deep sense of contentment spread throughout her, and when he eventually lay quiet and motionless, she proudly put her paw on his head and let out a loud, happy hiss.

As the intoxicating excitement of the fight slowly diminished, she suddenly felt something else. She felt... whole. Yes, she couldn't express it otherwise. She had never felt like she missed something, but now she was truly in tune with herself and the elements around her. It triggered a profound sense of bliss in her. She looked at her paws, licked her sharp teeth with her sensitive tongue and lifted her nose in the balmy wind.

  
________________________________________

  
A little away from the animal, the old woman was still sitting in the sand, smiling to herself. Never had she thought that she would see the little bundle of miracles again, that she had helped Falicia to give birth so many years ago. And what a wonderfully strong woman she had grown up to! A look in the woods had been enough to make her recognize her – she had the exact same face like her mother. And now in that proud figure of a clouded leopard, she also resembled her father immensely; he, too, always held his nose so proudly in the wind...

Thinking of Joziah, she was overcome with a wave of deep sadness and couldn't help sobbing. Her eyes veiled through tears, but she saw the Felis turn back to her, slowly approaching with attentive eyes. She stopped just before her and sniffed a little.

"Don't be afraid, little Felis. My name is Marzenna and I can give you answers to the questions that have surely brought you here."

She got up with stiff limbs and began hobbling back into the forest. The big cat came after her and nudged her leg softly. Marzenna laughed quietly and patted the fuzzy fur between the attentive ears of her companion.

"Don't worry, dear, that's just the age. At almost seventy years, the joints don't work as they did when I was your age..."

With difficulty she dragged on and the Felis followed her to her little house. When she sat down with a bottle of water in front of her hut, her companion lay down next to her and looked at her expectantly.

"Don't you want to change back, dear? In this shape, it's hard to talk to each other."

She almost laughed when the Felis questioningly tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. But then she realized that the girl didn't seem to know how to transform herself and remembered the preservation spell. She suddenly realized what that meant; what the girl had gone through to sit in front of her now as a clouded leopard. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her and tried to shake off her sad past. The child that should have been her godchild was here in her arms – she should celebrate and not cry!

When she felt the rough tongue of the Felis licking the tears on her left cheek, she looked up in surprise. Marzenna saw neither pain nor grief in the eyes of her youngest relative. On the contrary, she seemed to be at peace with herself and that brought a smile back on the old woman's face.

"I am sorry, dear. Sometimes I get really sentimental on my old days. Come, let me see you!"

The Felis jumped out of her arms in a flash and turned around like a young cat, as if she was trying to catch her tail. The longer she spun around, the bigger circles she drew, and Marzenna had the feeling that she was extra frolic to cheer her up. But suddenly, there was no happy purring and playful growling, and Marzenna saw that the Felis on the far edge of the woods had become completely quiet and was staring at something on the ground – exactly where she had been attacked and beaten less than twenty-four hours ago.

With a soft moan she got up again and hobbled over to her. What lay there was a charm bracelet, but not like the cheap ones you could buy at every corner of a town. What she saw there was pure silver with beautiful filigree elements that represented flowers as well as the sun and the moon. It had to mean a lot to her, for Marzenna could see the girl's human nature struggle to come up again as she stared at the bracelet.

"Remember, dear..." Marzenna whispered to the girl to help her. "Remember what this bracelet means to you. Who did you get it from?"

Marzenna waited patiently. But it didn't take long and from her years of experience she sensed it seconds before the girl transformed back into her human form in front of her eyes and dropped to her knees. With an incredulous expression in her eyes, she took the bracelet in her hand and pressed it to her heart.

"How could I forget it?" the young woman whispered, as if talking to herself. "How could I forget _him_?"

The young woman looked at her with wide eyes and Marzenna felt the irrepressible desire to comfort her young relative.

"It was the first time you've shifted, right?" She continued after the expected nod. "Dear, it's not surprising that you forgot it at that moment. In the form of your second nature all human possessions become meaningless. What counts in your animal form are your senses and instincts and I have to say that you already have them in excellent control."

She gave the young woman an encouraging smile and held out both hands with her palms facing upwards. "Welcome back. I'm Marzenna, and if life would have been different, I'd have been lucky enough to become your godmother. This task has been taken from me, but I can help you now. Ask me everything you want to know, dear. But first, what is your name? What name was given to you?"

"Um... my... you are my godmother?"

Marzenna smiled warmly, but added quickly, "There has never been a ceremony. You were snatched from us too fast, but of course, I'll be your godmother if you want. Please, tell me what's your-"

"Enid!"

Marzenna was energetically interrupted. Her young relative smiled sheepishly and then continued quieter. "I am Enid. Enid Griffith." The girl gave Marzenna a beaming smile and put her hands in Marzenna's.

"Enid Griffith..." Marzenna tested out the name. "Enid means life in Welsh. Your parents wouldn't have been able to give you a better name either." Marzenna sighed softly.

"Welsh? I think the nun who picked me up from the orphanage stairs and gave me the name came from Wales. I would have to ask my fathers again, but I think that's true." The young woman laughed happily.

That made Marzenna sit up. She asked with interest, "Did you say _fathers_?"

"Yes. At the age of four I was adopted by my fathers, André and Max. You said I was snatched from you? But I found the scent of my parents at the orphanage. That's the only way I could finally come here and find you."

Marzenna sighed softly and took a sip from her water bottle. "Would you like a cup of tea? Or are you hungry?"

As if on command, Enid's stomach began to growl. Marzenna laughed more freely. "Come, dear, we can talk about it inside."

When she wanted to get up, her feet failed briefly, but Enid held her tight so she wouldn't fall over. "Thank you, child. Be glad that you are still so agile. When the body no longer wants to act like the mind, life becomes quite tedious. But I usually am not harassed by a brutal relative every day..."

"Brutal relative? Who were the three men?"

Marzenna led Enid into her small modest home, scooped water into a saucepan, and set it on the hearth to boil it for the tea. Then she took a large bowl of fruit hanging from the ceiling and put it on the table.

"Take what you want and as much as you want. The Garden of Eden behind my cabin provides me with everything I need."

Marzenna prepared the tea strainers, while Enid took both a banana and a fig. When the water began to boil, she began to tell Enid about her past.

"Your parents were called Falicia and Joziah and you have to understand, Enid, they came from two families who hated each other's guts. Your father was my nephew, the son of my sister Lamia. He was very cosmopolitan, wanted to lead his family back into civilization again, after we have always been secluded and withdrawn for centuries. My sister and I were more in agreement with this plan than his father. Lamia almost convinced her husband, your grandfather Labhras, too, but then his brother Felipe learned about it and told their father. Miguel, your great-grandfather, was... difficult. In his younger years, he had to defend himself against poachers, because the fur of the animals of your second nature was very popular and the animals were hunted accordingly."

"In what exactly can my family transform into? I felt like a cat, but didn't pay attention to the coat drawing when I was transformed."

Marzenna examined her grandniece listening to her story. She seemed full of excitement and tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. Marzenna carefully put the finished tea on the table and sat down next to Enid.

"You know, dear, you look like your mother, but you've definitely got that impatient tapping from my sister, your grandma Lamia." She laughed softly and thought back to the many hours when she had tried to break her younger sister off this habit. When she saw Enid in front of her, she was glad she had never succeeded.

"Your second nature is a clouded leopard, Enid." She opened the drawer of the table where they sat and rummaged around in it for a moment. When she found what she was looking for, she smiled and handed a photo to her grandniece. "Here, these were your parents... with you."

She saw Enid swallow and examine her parents closely. Marzenna found another picture and laid it on the table as well. "This is unfortunately the only photo of you three. I took it one day after you were born. And here, that was your father in his animal form."

Enid ran her fingers gently over the second photo, as if she wanted to stroke the fur of the animal. Her eyes reddened and Marzenna could see that the young woman tried to suppress her tears.

"He was so beautiful... I've never seen a big cat with such a beautiful drawing."

Enid's voice was firm, but Marzenna could see tears fighting to come to the surface. "I like to take a picture of you later, dear. Then you see that you have an equally beautiful drawing."

While Marzenna began to peel a pineapple, she continued to tell about the family history. "Miguel was the family head of the paternal lineage of your biological family. As long as he lived, he was also the pack leader. Due to his experiences, he was vehemently against the move to civilization and banned it under threat of punishment. But it was too late. Your father had already met and fallen in love with your mother; he refused to leave her. Falicia would also have been willing to get out of her world completely and become part of your father's pack. But she came from a very old and very proud family, which in turn forbade it."

"She was a witch, right?"

Marzenna was astonished to say the least. "How do you know? No one outside the family knew that."

Her grandniece looked a bit embarrassed. "Well... I accidentally spoke a spell and unknowingly… weakened my blood spell myself? My uncle's partner is a vampire who works for the sheriff of the area where I used to live, and they were able to help me a lot when it happened about three months ago."

Marzenna saw Enid's eyes glaze over; the girl also unconsciously played with her bracelet. Sipping her tea, Marzenna asked her next questions as casually as possible. "The bracelet is from this sheriff? What's his name?"

The smile that spread on Enid's lips also made her smile. _'Some things never change...'_ she thought to herself, watching as the young woman blushed slightly and closed her eyes with a soft sigh.

"His name is Godric..." She sighed again.

If Enid had looked at her at that moment, she would have noticed the suddenly fearful eyes of her great-aunt, but Marzenna had time to catch herself again. She hadn't expected that. _'There are so many vampires in this part of the world and she runs into Death's arms? This girl just doesn't seem to be lucky.'_

"How… is he like?" she continued questioning her grandniece. "How often does he ask for your blood? At his age, he shouldn't need that much anymore."

When her grandniece frowned in confusion, it dawned on her again that the bracelet was made of silver – had he given her protection against other vampires with it or a possessive deterrent?

"Marzenna... Godric is the vampire with the purest soul I've ever met in my life. He has so far only drunk my blood in one occasion and that was when he had to punish me for a very big stupidity. He is a very good friend and... and... If he could choose, he would rather be human than a vampire. And he... He's very important to me."

The old woman watched in fascination as Enid quietened and told about this vampire with a serious expression. It became clear to her that she at once had thought of all the bad stories about him and that she had given herself no chance to form an opinion about him for herself.

"He works tirelessly to ensure that vampires and humans can live together peacefully. He always forgets to take care of himself. Before me, he almost knew only his work. I can... put a smile on his face now and then."

Marzenna reached for Enid's hand and took it in hers. "I am sorry, Enid. I didn't mean to talk badly about him. I too am not free from prejudice. I'm sorry… Can you forgive me?" she asked sadly but felt a little bit better when she felt Enid squeezing her hand.

"You know, it's like our history: your mother's family had prejudices against your father's family and vice versa. Some were the jungle savages and the others were the self-serving scamps from the city... Almost no one bothered to get to know the other side. And now I fall into the same pattern."

When Enid wanted to say something, she quickly held up her hand and asked to continue. "You are right, dear. Your mother was a witch, but not just her; pretty much all the female members of her family were witches, always have been. But they had much in common with my family branch, because they also lived in seclusion for a long time. Do you know about the witch burnings during the Middle Ages?"

When Enid nodded, startled, she continued, "From generation to generation, the stories were carried on and your mother once told them to me. It was a really dark time back then. Many innocent women and men were executed, drowned, or burned just because someone accused them of witchcraft, or that they made a pact with the devil. Every now and then it really hit a magical person, but mostly it was simply innocent souls who were tempted to make false confessions under torture. Of course, this has called those who practice magic to caution and to be especially vigilant. Only sometimes that wasn't enough. An ancestor of your maternal line, Anne Palles, was executed in 1693. Her daughters couldn't save her from it. They had to flee or they would probably have been caught, tortured and killed, too. Since then your ancestors lived hidden and didn't dare to practice their magic for a very long time. Only in the middle of the 19th century did the descendants of Anne regain their courage and began to use the Grimoire again which was passed on from mother to daughter. Today, Anne Palles is considered as the official last victim of the witch executions in the Kingdom of Denmark and her story has been taught to every generation since her days."


	18. Chapter 18

**~ Family history ~**

  
"Wow." Like her great-aunt, she had to take a sip of the strong tea. Slowly her head began to buzz with all this new information about her formerly unknown family members.

"So I come from two families that have the genes to be suspicious and cautious of all strangers," she summed up what she had heard and massaged her temples deliberately. "Okay. So, the man with the machete... he looked a bit like my father." Enid nodded toward the photo of Joziah looking lovingly at her mother and herself as a newborn. "That was Felipe?"

Her great-aunt nodded sadly. "The were genes are not dominantly inherited in our family, which means that not every child is automatically born with a second nature. Your grandfather Labhras was lucky, but not his brother Felipe. He has always felt disadvantaged about that fact and over the years built an inner hatred that had poisoned his soul more and more. Even though Felipe was the older one of the two, without the second nature he would never have been able to become the new pack leader. That was the one thing that dissatisfied him so much. The other was that he never found a wife because of his behavior. When your father got to know and love your mother, and Felipe heard about it, he raged and let himself be guided only by his jealousy."

When Enid saw that Marzenna's hands were shaking, she quickly took them in hers and squeezed them. The old woman gave her a tentative smile.

"You know, dear, at that time I was the only one who would even talk to Felipe. I just felt sorry for him, and because I am infertile, I never had a man for more than just a few weeks. In the part of the world where we had lived, it's part of the social status to give birth to children, and that was not possible for me. That's why I could understand his loneliness."

Marzenna took another sip of her tea and then continued in a slightly shaky voice, "When your mother was pregnant with you and the heads of both families became aware of it, Falicia was banned from her family and Joziah from Miguel's pack. The two were quite happy with it; they just wanted to build their own life, but Felipe didn't approve the exile. He regarded this unborn life as an affront; in his opinion, we weren't allowed to soften the were genes with witch magic. I should have known, I had seen enough signs, but at that time I still believed in something good in him. When I learned about his attack on your mother..."

Enid quickly stood and took Marzenna in her arms. "Shhhhh, it's all good. He didn't succeed, I'm alive." She locked eyes with the tormented ones of the older woman and wiped away Marzenna's tears. "We can take a break if you want, Auntie."

"That is nice of you, child, but I want to finish the story. I don't want to scare you, but my body has been bothering me for quite a while now, and every night, when I go to sleep, I do not know if I'll wake up the next day. I want you to know your past before I cannot tell you anymore."

"Would you come with me? Or allow me to call Godric? He can..." Enid frantically searched her pockets, but she couldn't find her cell anywhere. "Shit, I must have lost it." Then she noticed something that made her stop completely for two seconds. With wide eyes she looked at her relative. "How come I had my clothes back on when I shifted back? I thought weres are always..." Enid let herself plump on her chair again.

"Naked?" The soft laughter of Marzenna warmed her heart and she listened spellbound to further explanations.

"Oh my child, you owe that ability to both your mother and your grandmother Konstanza. But we are not at that point in your story yet."

She wanted to take a sip again, but her cup was empty. Enid jumped up quickly again and took the cup from her hand. "Let me do that, Auntie. I watched you earlier and know where everything is."

"Thank you, my dear Enid."

At that moment, a hiss sounded in the distance. It was soon copied by multiple voices which carried through the forest to the hut and grew louder and louder. Enid looked at her great-aunt with wide eyes. "What is that?"

"Do not worry, Enid. That comes from the beach. The big predators from the forest just have scented the blood and the flesh and are arguing about who will remove the remains for us."

"Oh," was all Enid could say at the moment, and for the next few minutes, the two of them listened intently to the distant noises while Enid prepared the new tea. Should she feel bad for killing the three men? She was torn; she had never thought she could commit murder, let alone kill _three_ people. But they had taken her out onto the sea with the intention of killing her first. Did her killing therefore fall under self-defense? The three had attacked her the first time, and the second time, she had killed two out of three at once. Could this be seen as compensatory justice? And Felipe? He could have fled to safety, but he preferred to oppose her with a machete. Everything in Enid told her that she could not have prevented it, but her human side still felt bad.

Lost in thought, she stirred a spoon in her cup when Marzenna addressed her. "You are not to blame, you know."

Sighing, Enid sank back into her chair after serving tea to her great-aunt. "How do you mean that?"

"Felipe had just become a bad creature. The moment he decided to kill his nephew's pregnant girlfriend, he lost his humanity. I see in your eyes that you feel guilty about killing the three and that alone shows that you have both a human conscience and your sanity still with you. So do not grieve, Enid. Do you know how I see it? You did him a favor. You saved him from his decades of hatred for everyone and maybe now he can finally find peace."

"Do you really believe that?" Enid would never have thought of it like that, but Marzenna looked at her with nothing but sincerity in her eyes, so Enid's doubts slowly faded.

"I saw him growing up, you know? I've seen a little happy boy turning more and more into a monster over the years. Believe me, Enid, you have redeemed the little boy of that long-ago time. Rescued him from all the injustices of family and social norms that can ruin an innocent child's soul..."

Her great-aunt sighed sadly and then continued, "At the time of the attack, Falicia had been with her mother Konstanza, and thanks to their magical craft, they were able to ward off the attack. My sister and I then went to Miguel, demanding to put an end to Felipe's terrible behavior. But instead of Felipe, I was banished from the family. My sister was _allowed_ to stay because she was also pregnant at that time, and her pure-bred kid was worth more than a were-witch hybrid in Miguel's eyes."

Enid clearly saw the anger in her great-aunt's eyes as she paused and shook her head. "All this talk about pure-bred or not, I felt as if Miguel had gone to school with Hitler… Felipe had become his favorite son after this, so I broke forever with him and the family. I didn't want to belong to them anymore. Had Miguel's wife and my parents opposed Miguel back then, he wouldn't have stood a chance against us all, but they all lived by the principle that what the pack leader says is law."

Again she shook her head and Enid understood her anger. Because she hadn't grown up in this family, she could inwardly distance herself, but the clear feelings that Marzenna felt and openly showed also transferred to Enid, obliterating her imperturbability.

"The head of the witch clan, your great-grandmother Ivana, would only have picked up your mother back then, but not your father and me. But Falicia loved your father above all else and didn't want to leave him, so we fled through half the continent to this place. Together we built this hut and hoped to live peacefully from then on. Falicia's mother sent us the stuff we needed, but we otherwise kept away from the families. Unfortunately, we were apparently not far enough away. On April 7, 1984, I helped your mother give birth. We were overwhelmed with joy because of you. Your parents wanted to make me your godmother and we had plans to move to the city. But only three days later, your father felt his uncle's proximity. Falicia called her mother for help, because she herself was still very weak from childbirth; she didn't think she would be strong enough to fend off Felipe with only your father around. You see, Felipe has always been a good shooter, and with a suitable rifle, he could have killed us all from afar if he had found us."

"What happened then? Did Konstanza arrive in time?" Enid asked excitedly. Out of sheer excitement, she had started to tap her fingers on the table again. Marzenna laid her hand reassuringly on hers.

"Yes, Enid. Your grandmother arrived in time. But we were faced with the dilemma of what to do. Should we keep fleeing? Felipe would never give up hunting you and us. With the help of a search spell from Konstanza we could see Felipe getting closer. We therefore decided that if he, in the worst case, didn't go for a blood oath and left us alone, we had to separate our little group and completely leave the continent. Konstanza and I would stop him until your parents could flee with you; far enough away that he couldn't find you anymore. Falicia's mother had cast a spell on you to prevent you from connecting with your second nature, because as soon as a child transforms for the first time, all of the family, who also have the second nature, feel it. As a double safeguard, your mother has wrapped you in a spell that you wouldn't be able to ever activate your second nature as long as you had some residual life force left in you."

Enid felt her inside grow cold. "So, I really... died... It wasn't an illusion that I drowned," she whispered, sitting in her chair, petrified, staring into the distance without seeing anything.

"When I saw you running out of the forest, I immediately knew who you were. You really have your mother's face. Unfortunately, Felipe recognized you instantly, too. Enid! What happened to you… it was a lifeline anchor your mother and grandmother gave you. No matter to where your parents wanted to escape with you, they didn't want you to face the danger of transforming at some point and attracting attention. But just in case, if the preservation spell had been weakened or accidentally dissolved, then in a dangerous situation you could instinctively flee as an animal instead of... dying. That's what your parents wanted for you."

"I understand. But why did they leave me behind at the orphanage?" Enid asked timidly. By now, the story had hurt her so much that she no longer knew if she wanted to know the rest.

"Unfortunately, not only Felipe had come. Alone, he wouldn't have been such a big problem, but we were also facing Miguel, his two brothers and their sons. When we looked into their hateful eyes, we all knew that they wouldn't rest until they killed all of us. Konstanza didn't hesitate and separated them and us with a protective shield so that your parents could escape with you. But they knew they had to give you up if they wanted to protect you. Miguel and the others didn't know your scent yet, but your parents' scent. Miguel had not only been the pack leader but also the best tracker in decades. Therefore, Falicia and Joziah made the hard decision to bring you to this orphanage and to cover their tracks as best as they could when they returned.

"I cannot remember exactly how long Konstanza kept the shield up; days or even weeks? I could do nothing but provide her with water and food. We hoped that they would eventually give up, but that was not the case. Konstanza became increasingly weaker, and we both realized that if she could not hold the shield anymore, they would kill us without hesitation and then would start to search for Falicia and Joziah. In desperation, I even contacted Konstanza's mother Ivana and asked for help. But she was like Miguel. The matriarch of your maternal lineage has denied us any help and thus accepted the death of her youngest daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter. After... I really don't remember how long Miguel and his henchmen were waiting for us... At some point, Konstanza couldn't hold the shield anymore, and Miguel suddenly stood in front of us with a cold smile while Felipe mocked us."

While Enid's tears ran unnoticed, Marzenna took a deep breath and told the rest of the story. "While I was holding Konstanza, I really believed that it would be over now, but then we heard a furious scream echoing through the forest, and suddenly, they all ran towards the cliffs. Konstanza asked me to take her there too, and together, we hauled ourselves forward as fast as we could. We-"

"To the cliff plateau..." Enid whispered, barely audible, with tear-shrouded face and Marzenna nodded sadly.

"Yes. When we stepped out of the woods, your parents were battling Miguel and the others. They were brave and I had never seen your mother so angry. I barely recognized her. Somehow, the two managed to fight back against the six. Falicia had toppled Miguel's two nephews with some spell, and Joziah managed to knock Miguel off the plateau. I am still proud today that Konstanza and I managed to overwhelm and kill him after his fall." Marzenna gave Enid a bitter smile.

"But in the meantime, his brothers had literally torn Joziah apart, and Felipe struck your mother. I don't know where Konstanza still found the power for another spell, but suddenly, Felipe's uncles were on fire and he himself fled from her. It didn't take long for us to be with Falicia, but she was bleeding from countless wounds and had only enough strength left to assure us that you were safe. I don't know how long we just sat there after she followed your father to the other side, but eventually, Konstanza got up and motioned for me to come along. When we reached the edge of the forest, she once again did some fire magic and burned all the bodies."

Enid sat very still and even Marzenna didn't say a word for several minutes. Even the forest seemed to have become quieter. After what felt like an eternity, Enid could free herself from her numbness and looked anxiously at her great-aunt.

"What has become of Konstanza? Is she still alive?"

She saw Marzenna wipe away some last tears and nod in confirmation. "She had offered me to come with her after the battle. But I wanted to stay here. From an early age, I had always lived close to nature, and without my nephew and his little family, I hadn't dared take the step to move to a city."

The old woman swallowed hard and drank from her tea. Enid drank too, but the tea had grown cold a while ago and no longer tasted good.

"There are still a few months..." Marzenna began her next sentence, but left it unfinished as she got up and began to get busy with the cooking utensils.

"What do you mean, Auntie?" Enid asked curiously and also got up to help.

"Would you stay here, Enid?" Her aunt suddenly turned to her with a serious face and took her hands. "I cannot tell you how much longer I will stay in this world, but if you stay here, I can tell you about my sister, your grandma Lamia, a-and help you with your second nature and show you how to survive in the jungle. And in April next year you can get to know Konstanza. She visits me once a year and we celebrate your birth and remember our loved ones. This time we can celebrate your 25th birthday together! And-"

Enid hugged the elder woman and didn't let go of her for the next few minutes. "I'll stay, Auntie," she whispered.

When she felt that Marzenna had calmed down a little, she broke her embrace and looked at her eagerly. "Will you show me how to cook with such a fire pit?"

This even conjured a big smile on her great-aunt's face and let Marzenna look several years younger.

"Dear, you have chosen the perfect teacher. If I can do one thing, it is cooking." When she pushed her sleeves up with playful seriousness and wrapped an apron around her waist, Enid let out a liberated laugh. Fascinated, she followed the movements of her great-aunt and helped with small tasks.

The longer the two of them prepared dinner together, the more a nice feeling spread through Enid. Certainly, her past wasn't easy to digest, but now she had found a relative who loved her and with whom she could live the next few months and also talk about her life so far. And in a few months, she would get to know her maternal grandmother too; plus a witch who might also help her to better understand her magical heritage.

When they ate together, Enid remembered one thing she desperately wanted to know. "Auntie? How exactly does this work with that… thing, that the clothes are transformed too?"

"Ah yes, I'm sorry, I forgot that." She seemed to have to think about it and was silent for a minute before continuing, "Well... Konstanza could explain that better, but as I understood it, the preservation spell would automatically be extinguished if you had died and the nature of the animal had taken control. The magic wouldn't have made sense then anymore. Your mother and grandmother assumed that, if this happens, you may be in a town or village and then switching back into your human form without clothes wouldn't be very pleasant. That's why they've woven another spell into your blood that always allows you to keep your clothes on. But do not ask me how it works exactly. Only a witch can explain that to you."

"I didn't know that witches can do that!" Enid exclaimed. "I always assumed that it's all about doing things like... sensing energy swings or something."

She was perplexed when Marzenna laughed loudly. "Dear one, properly trained, a witch can accomplish really powerful things. And believe me when I tell you that you are descended from a powerful witch family. Frankly, I'm surprised. You have close contact with vampires and have such a false idea of magic?"

"Well, it's not like that it is our number one topic of conversation every day. They are also more reserved to witches..." She recalled Isabel's comment from what felt like an eternity ago when they found out that Enid was probably a witch.

"Reserved, hmm? It's true, witches and vampires have never really... liked each other so to speak. Do you want to eat some more?"

"Hmm? Oh, no thanks. I'm sorry." She blushed. "But somehow, I have a weird grumble in the stomach, although the food was delicious. It feels like a centipede running through my stomach. Totally funny feeling..."

"Don't worry, Enid, it has something to do with the shifting. Your body needs time to get used to it. The more often you change into your second nature, the easier it gets and the easier it is for your body to accept it."

"Okay, good to know." Enid laughed, slightly embarrassed. But then she got serious again and thought about all what she had heard today. "Where did that hatred come from, Auntie? How could all of that happen?"

Marzenna looked at her with sadness in her eyes that caused Enid to swallow. "I do not know, dear. Ignorance? Injured pride due to your father opposing the pack? Exaggerated caution? I really cannot tell you. Sometimes, it felt like they were all trapped by some dark spirit that poisoned their souls. Miguel and Felipe, but also Ivana... maybe it's just this time? In the last few years, I have gone to the city every now and then and sold fruits at the market and listened to the people. And the kind of things you get to hear there... Oh Enid, I have the feeling that as soon as people lose contact with nature, they automatically lose some of their humanity as well."

Marzenna shook her head in disbelief. "In recent years, Konstanza has been asking me over and over again if I wanted to move in with her to get a little more comfortable. But no, I don't want to be constantly involved in the brutalization that befalls the people." She grabbed Enid's hands and Enid could read a determination in her great-aunt that almost startled her.

"You wanted to ask me something earlier. That I would accompany you to your home? You can certainly think of my answer now. This here has been my home for many, many years now and that's where I want to reunite with the earth when the time comes."

"There is something that could help you, Marzenna. Godric could help you; he can-"

"I know what you want to offer me, dear. But even that I refuse."

Enid leaned over the table to be closer to her relative. "But-"

Marzenna interrupted her again, this time with a small smile. "No, Enid. I will _not_ accept vampire blood from your Godric or any other vampire. Even if he was here with us right now and I had only a few minutes to live, I wouldn't take it. And if he really is the person you described him to be, then he would respect my wish. I know that vampire blood has healing properties, but I am firmly convinced that everyone gets in life what fate has intended for them. Sometimes, fate can be a real bastard, but look at us. Look at you! It was your destiny to live and you grew up to such a beautiful and strong woman. Maybe fate has still plans with your Godric too and you've been sent to him so that he finds the power to do whatever he has to do. In any case, fate had envisaged me to persevere until today. Never would I have thought it possible that my deepest wish would come true... and here you are sitting by my side."

Enid suddenly found herself in the arms of Marzenna again and felt how the old woman kissed her forehead before looking lovingly at her.

"No, Enid. Everything is as it should be. When the time comes, my body will reunite with the earth and my soul... well, just what happens to the souls – keep walking, fizzle out, I do not know exactly." Marzenna chuckled and made Enid smile as well. "But it's all right, believe me. That's the natural course of things."

"And how do you think vampires fit in there? In the cycle of life? What do you think about that?" Enid wanted to know and found it fascinating that they so far almost shared the same views on life.

"Vampires stand out with their longevity a bit, that's true. Although they are not immortal – they can die if they want to, or they can be killed. But they are definitely useful; after all, every creature needs someone that stands above them in the food chain."

When Marzenna shrugged, Enid couldn't help grinning when thinking about her conversations with Isabel and Godric. Warmth spread through Enid while she looked at Marzenna and listened to her views of life. It felt so good to sit here with her! She couldn't wait to tell her fathers about Marzenna, a great-aunt who shared the same views as herself, even though she had only just met her today. But it would take a while for her to see her fathers and her friends again – she had found her biological family and that was a new chapter in her life that she didn't want to close too soon.

Enid talked to Marzenna for hours on at that long day, and as the day drew to an end, she lay awake for quite some time, listening to the breath of her relative. She would learn to deal smoothly with her second nature, would make up for the lost time with her great-aunt and in a few months... yes, then she could devote herself to the magical things of life with her grandma Konstanza.

With a satisfied smile on her lips, she finally fell asleep in a small house in a jungle in the middle of nowhere, looking forward to the future.


End file.
